United Nations World Tourism Organization

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and provides a platform for cooperation among governments, the private sector, academia and civil society. The organization collects, analyses and disseminates tourism statistics, trends and market information to support evidence‑based decision making. It also offers technical assistance, capacity‑building programmes and guidelines aimed at enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of tourism destinations.

Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, UNWTO operates as part of the United Nations system and reports to the UN General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council. Its membership comprises states, territories and affiliate members that represent a broad geographical spread across all regions of the world. Through its regional offices and liaison offices, the organization maintains a presence that facilitates dialogue and implementation of tourism policies at national and local levels.

UNWTO is recognized as the leading international authority on tourism, setting standards and publishing flagship reports such as the UNWTO Tourism Highlights and the Compendium of Tourism Statistics. The organization also administers the World Committee on Tourism Ethics and promotes the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. In February 2016, the organization experienced a cyberattack in which its website was defaced and a forum database was compromised, resulting in the exposure of member records. This incident highlighted the need for heightened cybersecurity measures within the organization.