UN Tourism Commission for Europe Meets in Baku to Further Strengthen Regional Cooperation

The 71^st session of the UN Tourism Commission for Europe was held as the region welcomed 125 million international tourist arrivals in the first three months of the year, a 2% rise on last year. European destinations also recorded a collective USD 7.25 billion in visitor spending in the first quarter of the year. At the same time, Member States also recognised the challenges of war and economic insecurity and the potential impact on tourism in the region.

UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona said: “Tourism is the most human of all economic sectors – and the one with the biggest heart. It’s the sector that can deliver the most for young people, for women, for everyone. The energy and vision we’ve seen here in Azerbaijan mirrors the dynamism we see across the region. It’s up to us to channel this energy to build inclusive prosperity, community cohesion and peace.”

Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Fuad Naghiyev said: “Hosting the 71st Meeting of the UN Tourism Commission for Europe reflects our dedication to fostering international cooperation, promoting sustainable tourism, and contributing meaningfully to global tourism policy. Through strategic initiatives, improved accessibility, and strong partnerships — particularly with UN Tourism — we continue to position Azerbaijan as a vital hub connecting Europe with the wider region.”

In her report to Member States, Executive Director Bayona outlined the progress made since the Commission met for its 70^th session. Key highlights include:

• Tourism Knowhow – Development of tourism products: The Best Tourism Villages Network now numbers 256 destinations from 59 countries. Of these, 64 villages are in Europe, in 21 countries. Europe continues to grow as a leading destination for wine tourism and will host the 9th edition of the UN Tourism Global Wine Forum, held in Bulgaria later this year.
• Tourism investments: Globally, within the last 5 years, tourism has welcomed more than 2,000 announced greenfield projects totalling USD126 billion. Of these, half are in Europe. In the past year, 3 editions of the UN Tourism "Tourism Doing Business: Investment Guidelines" have been released with a focus on Albania, Armenia and Georgia.
• Innovation: Europe now accounts for 33% of the startups in the global UN Tourism Innovation Network. To further advance innovation, UN Tourism has launched a National Open Innovation Challenge for France, with plans for an edition for Lithuania, as well as an Open Innovation Challenge on safety of destinations and a Challenge focused on heat mitigation in Malta. 
• Digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence:  UN Tourism continues to take the lead on the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the sector, building on the success of the Ministerial Summit on AI in Tourism at the World Travel Market in London. UN Tourisms Artificial Intelligence Challenge received 440 applications, 40% from Europe.
• Education and Human Capital Development: Recognizing the challenges facing the sector in Europe (25% of employees have no or low qualifications), UN Tourism is working to boost skills and opportunities across all education levels. The UN Tourism Online Academy now has more than 45,000 users, 6,000 from Europe, with 13 new online courses in collaboration with European universities.

Alongside the Commission session, a high-level thematic conference, “From Momentum to Milestones: Advancing Climate Action in Tourism Beyond COP29,” featured two expert panels and a keynote address by the UN Tourism Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic who provided crucial insights in how UN Tourism supports national tourism administrations to include climate action in tourism policies and transform business models.

Executive Director Urosevic said: “Climate action in tourism must be grounded in science. By embracing data-driven strategies and aligning with global frameworks, we can turn ambition into credible action and unlock opportunities to scale up the transformation toward low carbon and climate resilient tourism.”

The event also highlighted the landmark COP29 Tourism Day and the launch of the COP29 Declaration on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism, now endorsed by 70 governments. It builds on the momentum of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, launched at COP26.

Elections for a total of 20 posts in UN Tourism statutory organs and subsidiary bodies were held during the Commission meeting and saw the nomination of Lithuania and Switzerland as Vice-Presidents of the 26^th session of the Assembly, while Israel and Poland were elected to the Credentials Committee.

Azerbaijan, Croatia, France, Greece and Slovenia were nominated to the Executive Council for the period 2025-2029, while Czechia and Portugal were nominated to the Committee on Tourism Online Education, and the Republic of Moldova and Uzbekistan were nominated to the Technical Committee for the International Code for the Protection of Tourists.

For the first time, Montenegro was elected as Chair of the Commission for Europe, with Lithuania and Poland as Vice-Chairs. Israel, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania will be members of the Working Group for the Agenda for Europe until 2027.