The UN Tourism Agency, formerly known as the World Tourism Organization, declared on Wednesday its adoption of a new name to emphasize its affiliation with the United Nations. The rebranding was revealed, alongside a fresh logo featuring a dynamic human figure and the tagline “Bringing the world closer,” during the inauguration of Madrid’s FITUR tourism congress.
In a statement, the organization explained that the shift away from acronyms to “UN Tourism” aims to present a more approachable image. Established in 1974 and headquartered in Madrid, the intergovernmental body promotes tourism and facilitates international trade among nations. With 160 member states, it maintains regional offices in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Morocco, regularly providing estimates and forecasts of tourist arrivals worldwide.
The agency’s most recent report, released last week, highlighted a significant 44 percent surge in international tourist arrivals in 2023, totaling 1.3 billion. However, this figure still represented only 88 percent of the pre-pandemic 2019 levels, underscoring the ongoing impact of global travel restrictions implemented in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
