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By Okorie Uguru
The United Nations Tourism (UNTourism), UN-Habitat, and UNESCO came together at the World Urban Forum to host a side event under the theme Urban Tourism: Policies and Governance for More Sustainable, Inclusive, Creative, and Resilient Cities. It is the first time the three UN agencies are coming together at the World Urban Forum to stimulate dialogue and call for cooperation to help drive sustainable urban tourism.
The event builds upon the innovative and successful partnership between UN-Habitat and UN Tourism. The agencies had organised, with the support of the Basque Government, an expert group meeting on Advancing Sustainable Urban Tourism: Tools For Promoting Good Practices in Cities and Territories” (Bilbao, 21-22 March 2024) where UN agencies including UNESCO, representatives of national, regional, and local governments, academy, private sector, and civil society, debated how to build better policies and governance for urban tourism in a way that benefits all. The conclusions of this meeting were presented at the event, which served as a baseline for further action.
Mayors from Granada (Spain), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), Madrid (Spain), Porto (Portugal), and the councillor member of the Mayoral Committee – Human Settlements of Buffalo City (South Africa) shared their vision of how tourism drives economic and social development in their respective cities. They emphasised tourism’s role in advancing urban infrastructure, accessibility, preserving and promoting cultural and natural assets, stimulating creative industries, and regenerating neglected areas, eventually transforming their cities into better places.
They also stressed that to reach its full potential, tourism must be developed sustainably across economic, socio-cultural, and environmental dimensions. They emphasised that this requires a holistic, multi-sectoral governance and approach that embeds tourism and culture within the urban and territorial planning, and addressing the diverse needs of all stakeholders.
