The Republic of San Marino will host the second edition of the UNWTO European Conference on Accessible Tourism in November. Further advancing UNWTO’s commitment to making tourism open to all, the Conference will showcase innovation, public-private partnerships and inclusive policymaking.

Accessible Tourism: A Priority for the Sector

UNWTO is committed to guiding the global tourism sector towards greater accessibility and inclusivity.

  • According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 1.3 billion people worldwide experience significant disability, making participation in tourism challenging.
  • Around one quarter of the EU population, 87 million people, already has some form of disability (EUROSTAT).
  • Article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities advocates for ensuring that persons with disabilities have access to cultural, sporting, recreational and tourism facilities, activities and services.

UNWTO: Building a More Accessible Tourism

In June 2021, the first comprehensive international standard on accessible tourism, ISO 21902 Accessible Tourism for All, was published by ISO. UNWTO and partners led the development of this new global guidance tool.

  • The UNE-ISO 21902 standard establishes requirements and recommendations for accessible tourism
  • It addresses service providers and tourism operators as well as public administrations and tourism destinations.

Towards the 2nd European Conference on Accessible Tourism

During the 68th meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe held in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, the Minister of Tourism of the Republic of San Marino, Federico Pedini Amati, formally announced the 2nd European Conference on Accessible Tourism: Tourism for All will take place in San Marino on 16-17 November 2023.

  • UNWTO and San Marino will provide a platform for governments, destinations, the private sector and civil society to discuss the best ways to prioritize accessibility in any tourism policy or strategy.
  • The Conference will make clear the many benefits of more accessible tourism, from creating jobs and boosting economies to allowing more people to travel and strengthening international solidarity and cooperation.
  • The Conference will further discuss how the application of Universal Design principles and cutting-edge solutions to making natural and cultural environments more accessible, is a game-changer.

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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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