Berlin, 28 February 2020 – ITB Berlin 2020 will not take place. Due to the rapid spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Economics have stated their opinion that ITB Berlin be cancelled. This evening at 18:27 hrs, the responsible health authority of the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in Berlin imposed significantly tighter restrictions on holding the event.

The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) paid a high-level visit to Greece to meet with the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism and offer the United Nations’ specialized agency’s support as the country works to grow and diversify its tourism sector.  Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili was in Athens for high-level talks with political leaders, as well as high-level representatives from across the private sector.

The 11th edition of the World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism will take place on 11-13 March 2020 in Andorra, under the theme “Tourism, Innovation and Sustainability”. The Congress is organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Andorra and the Parish of Canillo. 

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Basque Culinary Center have joined forces again for the second edition of the Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition. After the success of the first edition, the competition has returned to identify and celebrate disruptive ideas and innovators who will lead the transformation of the sector as well as those who are making a positive impact in their local communities.

Year after year, destinations are receiving more and more travellers whose motivation is to visit locations where famous series or movies were filmed. Culture is an essential vector for tourism and cinema can serve as a mirror of the culture of a given community. It is against this backdrop that the Conference on Tourism and the Audiovisual Industry will be held (1-2 May 2020, Riviera Maya, Mexico).

More than 120 participants from different prefectures of Heilongjiang Province, China, took part in a special UNWTO training seminar on winter tourism and on making the sector open to everybody.  Experts from UNWTO are currently working alongside the Heilongjiang Provincial Culture and Tourism Department to finalize two different plans for the regional tourism sector. The Heilongjiang Provincial Inclusive Tourism Development Plan aims to grow the regional tourism sector in an inclusive manner between 2020 and 2030.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is closely monitoring developments related to the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), both in China and worldwide and is cooperating closely with the World Health Organization (WHO). Since the very start of the emergency, the Chinese authorities have acted swiftly and decisively. UNWTO expresses its solidarity with the Chinese people, its government and its tourism sector at these challenging times.

The role of tourism and investment in African development took centre stage at the FITUR trade fair in Madrid this week as sector leaders joined the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the 11th edition of INVESTOUR (Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa) which saw the participation of over 20 African Ministers and Heads of delegations.

The role of tourism in the new European Green Deal was highlighted at the FITUR trade fair. On the back of the recent launch of the Green Deal, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) invited Ministers of Tourism from across Europe and representatives from the European Parliament and the European Travel Commission (ETC) to Madrid for a high-level conversation on the vital role the tourism sector will play if the ambitious sustainability goals are to be met. 

In its first edition, the first recipient of the “Accessible Tourist Destination” award was Portugal, while Barcelona and the Indian city of Thrissur received special mentions The ATD (Accessible Tourism Destination) are distinctions granted by the UNWTO and the Fundación ONCE to recognize and promote tourist sites accessible to all