The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) 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, UNWTO 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.
UNWTO encourages the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, to maximize
tourisms socio-economic contribution while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is committed to
promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.
UNWTO generates market knowledge, promotes competitive and sustainable tourism policies and
instruments, fosters tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective tool for
development through technical assistance projects in over 100 countries around the world.
UNWTOs membership includes 156 countries, 6 Associate Members and over 400 Affiliate
Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism
authorities.

WTO
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency
responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. It is the
leading international organization in the field of tourism, which 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. It encourages the
implementation of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism [1] to maximize the contribution of tourism to
socio-economic development, while minimizing its possible negative impacts, and is committed to
promoting tourism as an instrument in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals(MDGs), geared towards reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.
UNWTO generates market knowledge, promotes competitive and sustainable tourism policies and
instruments, fosters tourism education and training, and works to make tourism an effective tool for
development through technical assistance projects in over 100 countries around the world.
UNWTOs membership includes 156 countries, 6 territories and over 400 affiliate members
representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism
authorities. Its headquarters are located in Madrid.[2]

Organizational aim
The objectives of the UNWTO are to promote and develop sustainable tourism so as to contribute to
economic development, international understanding, peace, prosperity and universal respect for, and
observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex,
language or religion. In pursuing these aims, UNWTO pays particular attention to the interests of
developing countries in the field of tourism.[3]
HISTORY

The origin of UNWTO stems back to 1925 when the International Congress of Official Tourist Traffic
Associations (ICOTT) was formed at The Hague. Some articles from early volumes of the Annals of
Tourism Research,[4] claim that the UNWTO originated from the International Union of Official Tourist
Publicity Organizations (IUOTPO), although the UNWTO states that the ICOTT became the
International Union of Official Tourist Publicity Organizations first in 1934.
Following the end of the Second World War and with international travel numbers increasing, the
IUOTPO restructured itself into the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (IUOTO). A
technical, non-governmental organization, the IUOTO was made up of a combination of national
tourist organizations, industry and consumer groups. The goals and objectives of the IUOTO were to
not only promote tourism in general but also to extract the best out of tourism as an international
trade component and as an economic development strategy for developing nations. [4]
Towards the end of the 1960s, the IUOTO realized the need for further transformation to enhance its
role on an international level. The 20th IUOTO general assembly in Tokyo, 1967, declared the need
for the creation of an intergovernmental body with the necessary abilities to function on an
international level in cooperation with other international agencies, in particular the United Nations.
Throughout the existence of the IUOTO, close ties had been established between the organization
and the United Nations (UN) and initial suggestions had the IUOTO becoming part of the UN.
However, following the circulation of a draft convention, consensus held that any resultant
intergovernmental organization should be closely linked to the UN but preserve its "complete
administrative and financial autonomy".[5]
It was on the recommendations of the UN that the formation of the new intergovernmental tourism
organization was based. Resolution 2529 of the XXIVth UN general assembly stated:
In 1970, the IUOTO general assembly voted in favor of forming the World Tourism Organization
(WTO).[6] Based on statutes of the IUOTO, and after ratification by the prescribed 51 states, the WTO
came into operation on November 1, 1974.

Most recently, at the fifteenth general assembly in 2003, the WTO general council and the UN
agreed to establish the WTO as a specialized agency of the UN. The significance of this
collaboration, WTO Secretary-General Mr. Francesco Frangialli claimed, would lie in "the increased
visibility it gives the WTO, and the recognition that will be accorded to [it].Tourism will be considered
on an equal footing with other major activities of human society". [7]

General Assembly[edit]
The General Assembly is the principal gathering of the World Tourism Organization. It meets every
two years to approve the budget and programme of work and to debate topics of vital importance to
the tourism sector. Every four years it elects a Secretary-General. The General Assembly is
composed of full members and associate members. Affiliate members and representatives of other
international organizations participate as observers. The World Committee on Tourism Ethics is a
subsidiary organ of the General Assembly.[12]

Executive Council[edit]
The Executive Council is UNWTO's governing board, responsible for ensuring that the Organization
carries out its work and adheres to its budget. It meets at least twice a year and is composed of
members elected by the General Assembly in a ratio of one for every five full members. As host
country of UNWTO's headquarters, Spain has a permanent seat on the Executive Council.
Representatives of the associate members and affiliate members participate in Executive Council
meetings as observers.[13]

Committees[edit]
Specialized committees of UNWTO members advise on management and programme content.
These include: the Programme Committee, the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Committee
on Statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account, the Committee on Market and Competitiveness, the
Sustainable Development of Tourism Committee, the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, the
Committee on Poverty Reducction and the Committee for the Review of applications for affiliate
membership.[14]

Secretariat[edit]
The Secretariat is led by Secretary-General Taleb Rifai of Jordan, who supervises about 110 full-time
staff at UNWTO's Madrid headquarters. These officials are responsible for implementing UNWTO's
programme of work and serving the needs of members. The affiliate members are supported by a
full-time Executive Director at the Madrid headquarters. The Secretariat also includes a regional
support office for Asia-Pacific in Osaka, Japan, financed by the Japanese Government. The official
languages of UNWTO are Arabic, English, French, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. [15]