Organized by UN Tourism and the Government of the State of Quintana Roo through the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo – an entity that is an Affiliate Member of UN Tourism – the International Forum "Tourism and Culture: A Picture-Perfect Relationship" has put the spotlight on the potential of audiovisual tourism to boost the product offerings of destinations and its suitability for tourism marketing and promotion. Participants discussed the creation and implementation of public policies for promotion through audiovisual content, raising awareness among tourists about environmental and cultural protection through on-screen content, as well as the broader relationship between tourism, culture and creative industries.

As part of the diversification of tourism offerings, audiovisual content can foster relationships and cultural affinity between different countries and communities. Both tourism and the audiovisual sector celebrate and promote culture, foster employment and offer opportunities for growth. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism
I am proud to share that we are moving decisively towards a new era in tourism. We have consolidated public policies that promote the diversification of our tourism offerings, including the cultural segment as one of the fundamental pillars. Our Mexican Caribbean, with its paradisiacal landscapes, its cultural wealth and first-class tourism infrastructure, is positioned as an ideal setting to strengthen our offerings and position Quintana Roo as a leading player in the audiovisual field. Mara Lezama, Governor of the State of Quintana Roo

The event was held within the framework of the 11th edition of the Xcaret Platino Awards for Ibero-American Cinema, the largest gathering of the Spanish-speaking audiovisual industry, and brought together experts from the world of tourism and culture.

In the framework of this event, UN Tourism signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Xcaret Group – an Affiliate Member of the Organization – that lays the foundations for collaboration aimed at jointly promoting good practices in the preservation of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, and the welfare of local communities.

UN Tourism, working for the development of audiovisual tourism

UN Tourism has been expanding its work in the field of audiovisual tourism to respond to the increased demand for recommendations and guidance regarding the development of public policies and the sustainable development of this tourism segment. The recent joint UN Tourism – NETFLIX study "Cultural Affinity and Screen Tourism – The Case of Internet Entertainment Services" offers policymakers and tourism sector actors valuable information and recommendations to develop and implement policies that make their destinations attractive to audiovisual producers. Likewise, it aims to help in the formulation of strategies focused on promoting tourism and the consumption of local culture, and investing in training and education to develop the film sector and local creative industries, in order to ensure a high level of talent, infrastructure and production capacity.

Destination Quintana Roo

The State of Quintana Roo continues to strengthen its position as a tourism destination, thanks to large-scale projects such as the launch of the Mayan Train. Quintana Roo received a record number of tourists in 2023, with more than 20 million, and is taking actions to safeguard its cultural and natural heritage, in line with its Quintana Roo 2030 Sustainable Tourism Master Plan.

11th edition of the Xcaret Platino Awards

With the aim of promoting, disseminating and bringing Ibero-American culture and film-making closer together, the Xcaret Platino Awards for Ibero-American Cinema annually brings together the most prominent figures of the Latin American audiovisual industry and recognizes the best audiovisual productions in Spanish and Portuguese.

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About UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.

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