Members UN Tourism has 160 Member States, six associate members (Aruba, Flanders, Hong Kong, Macao, Madeira and Puerto Rico), and two observers (Holy See (1979), Palestine (1999)). Nonmembers are: Australia, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Kiribati, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United Kingdom and the United States. Seventeen state members have withdrawn from the organization for different periods in the past including Australia (citing poor value for money), Bahamas (later rejoined), Bahrain (rejoined in 2001), Belgium, Canada (Canada withdrew from the World Tourism Organization when it appointed Robert Mugabe as a leader in 2013), Costa Rica (rejoined in 1995), El Salvador (rejoined in 1993), Grenada, Honduras (rejoined in 2001), Kuwait (rejoined in 2003), Latvia, Malaysia (rejoined in 1991), Myanmar (rejoined in 2012), Panama (rejoined in 1996), Philippines (rejoined in 1991), Qatar (rejoined in 2002), Thailand (rejoined in 1996), United Kingdom and Puerto Rico (as an associate member). The Netherlands Antilles was an associate member before its dissolution. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) rejoined the organization in May 2013, 26 years after having left UN Tourism. Additionally, UN Tourism has over 500 affiliate members, including non-governmental entities with specialised interests in tourism, and commercial and non-commercial bodies and associations with activities related to the aims of UN Tourism or falling within its competence. On 2 April 2022, Russia announced it would leave UN Tourism, and the organization subsequently voted the same day to suspend Russia in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Secretaries-General As the host country of UN Tourism's headquarters, Spain has a permanent seat on the Executive Council. Representatives of the associate members and affiliate members participate in Executive Council meetings as observers.
Publications World Tourism Barometer (quarterly) International Tourism Highlights (annual) UNWTO Annual Report UNWTO Declarations Knowledge Network Issues Paper Series
Tourism Data Dashboard UN Tourism releases its Tourism Data Dashboard which "provides statistics and insights on key indicators for inbound and outbound tourism at the global, regional and national levels. Data covers tourist arrivals, tourism share of exports and contribution to GDP, source markets, seasonality and accommodation (data on number of rooms, guest and nights)."
Visa Openness Report UN Tourism research concluded that, by improving visa processes and entry formalities, G20 economies could boost their international tourist numbers by 122 million, tourism exports by US$2016 billion and employment by 5 million. The Organization's latest UN Tourism Visa Openness Report, published in 2016, shows the highest ever percentage of international tourists not requiring a visa to travel - 39% compared with 23% in 2008. The report concluded that the 30 countries whose citizens were least affected by visa restrictions in 2015 were (based on the data compiled by the UN Tourism, based on information from national official institutions):
Ambassadors Sports Didier Drogba - Football player Leo Messi - Football player Andrés Iniesta - Football players
Gastronomy and Wine Gino Sorbillo - chef Ramon Freixa - chef
Business Leaders Michael Frenzel - Businessman Adam Goldstein - Businessman
Arts & Culture Giorgio Armani - clothing designer Plácido Domingo - Opera singer
See also World Tourism Day
References Further reading Jafari, J. (1974). Creation of the intergovernmental world tourism organization. Annals of Tourism Research, 2, (5), 237–245. United Nations General Assembly. (1969). General assembly – twenty fourth session. United Nations World Tourism Organization. (2007). About UNWTO. World Tourism Organization. (2003). WTO news, 2003 (3). Madrid: World Tourism Organization. "World Tourism Organization changes its abbreviation to UNWTO". UNWTO Press and Communications. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 4 March 2008.
External links
Official website UNWTO eLibrary UNWTO Themis Foundation