On the occasion of FITUR 2025, the United Nations Tourism Organization celebrated its 50th anniversary with a prestigious gathering of global leaders and industry experts. The milestone event highlighted the organization’s enduring dedication to fostering peace, cultural understanding, and sustainable progress through the power of tourism.

Reflecting on its achievements over five decades, UN Tourism used the platform of the renowned trade fair to outline its ambitious vision for the future. The next chapter will focus on empowering innovation, encouraging technological advancements, and driving increased investments in tourism to ensure its role as a transformative force for good.

The event served as a rallying call for the industry to embrace fresh ideas and forward-thinking solutions, laying the groundwork for a more inclusive and resilient sector. By uniting stakeholders from around the globe, UN Tourism underscored its commitment to ensuring tourism continues to thrive as a pillar of economic prosperity and cross-cultural connections.

As FITUR 2025 unfolded, the golden jubilee became a symbol of both reflection and renewal, reaffirming UN Tourism’s mission to shape a brighter, more sustainable future for generations to come.

UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “As UN Tourism celebrates 50 years, FITUR meets for the 45th time. Together, we have helped shape global tourism, building bridges between the public and private sectors, promoting dialogue and cooperation and advancing shared priorities around innovation, sustainability and resilience.”

Strategic Meetings at FITUR 2025
As part of FITUR 2025, UN Tourism leadership engaged in a series of strategic discussions with key global stakeholders, including Tourism Ministers, business leaders, and representatives from its Member States. These high-level meetings highlighted the organization’s commitment to advancing the tourism agenda on a global scale.

Tourism Investments Take the Spotlight
In Madrid, UN Tourism hosted a special Investment Breakfast in partnership with the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF). This exclusive event brought together industry experts to explore opportunities and challenges in fostering tourism investments across Latin America and the Caribbean.

During the breakfast, UN Tourism unveiled its latest additions to the “Tourism Doing Business” Investment Guidelines, featuring detailed insights on the investment landscapes of Panama and Brazil—the partner country for FITUR 2025. These resources aim to empower stakeholders with actionable strategies to strengthen regional tourism infrastructure and opportunities.

Advancing Accessible Tourism
Reinforcing its commitment to inclusivity, UN Tourism joined forces with AccessibleEU to host a groundbreaking side event on January 23, titled “Accessible Tourism: Harnessing the Benefits of Inclusive Destinations for Companies and People.”

Organized in collaboration with the ONCE Foundation, the European Network for Accessible Tourism, and ILUNION Acesibilidad, the event celebrated progress in making destinations more accessible to visitors of all abilities. Discussions focused on infrastructure challenges and leveraging innovation to enhance accessibility, emphasizing the economic and social benefits of inclusive tourism.

Strengthening the Network of Affiliate Members
FITUR 2025 also served as a platform for UN Tourism to expand its Affiliate Member network. A special “Affiliate Members Corner” highlighted the theme “Targeting Traveler Segments,” exploring potential growth areas and strategies for destinations to diversify their tourism offerings.

UN Tourism further solidified its alliances by signing new Memorandums of Understanding with Affiliate Member CIFFT (Audiovisual Tourism Advertising). This collaboration aims to drive creativity and innovation in tourism marketing through impactful visual storytelling.

FITUR 2025 showcased UN Tourism’s proactive approach to shaping a sustainable, inclusive, and forward-thinking tourism sector, reaffirming its dedication to fostering global collaboration and innovation.

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