Tourism has committed to embrace its unique role as a pillar of peace and understanding. On World Tourism Day 2024, UN Tourism brought sector leaders from every global region together around a common vision and commitment to building a “peace-sensitive sector”, recognizing its potential to build bridges and foster understanding.
The official celebrations in Tbilisi, Georgia, welcomed almost 500 participants from 51 different countries, including 13 Ministers of Tourism. Reflecting its firm commitment to the day and its theme of “Peace and Tourism”, the host country was represented by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze as well as seven other Ministers, showcasing tourism’s cross-sectoral importance.
Welcoming delegates, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, stressed that “without peace, there is no tourism”. He said: “I call on all of you to help build a –‘peace-sensitive tourism sector‘, one that plays a key role in building peace and ending conflicts, provides tourism stakeholders with tools to realize this potential, promotes tourism education as peace education, and links tourism to other peace building initiatives”.
Building bridges through tourism
Reflecting on the theme of World Tourism Day 2024, “Tourism and Peace”, the official celebrations featured a Ministerial Debate focusing on what this looks like in action. Ministers representing Georgia, Uzbekistan, Sierra Leone and Bahrain, made clear how peace and security are the foundations for prosperity, providing examples from their own countries and personal travels of how tourism connects people and promotes understanding. Key takeaways include the important role of tourism in combatting disinformation and mistrust, and the essential need to ensure the benefits tourism delivers are enjoyed fairly and equally across societies.
To complement the public sector view, the day also featured a private-sector panel. The dialogue explored the private sector’s potential and responsibility and to leverage its strengths and capabilities to promote peace and stability through tourism, and how it can work with the public sector to achieve these essential goals. And from the field of entrepreneurship and digital innovation, panellists highlighted the potential for tourism to rebuild in post-conflict and create resilience against future shocks.
Summing up the dialogues, Minister of Tourism of Jamaica Edmund Bartlett said: “Tourism recognizes differences, it embraces similarities. Tourism has a place for you and embraces you. That’s the essence of the power of tourism to make peace.”
Investing in tourism, investing in peace
Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UN Tourism, set out the case for tourism investments as key to both growth and peace and opportunity. She said: “We have seen time and again how tourism can transform post-conflict regions, provide employment and foster entrepreneurial initiatives. The private sector must remain committed to using its resources to build peace and create opportunities in emerging and vulnerable regions.”
On the occasion of World Tourism Day, UN Tourism launched the latest edition of its growing portfolio of investment guidelines. “Tourism Doing Business: Investing in Georgia” showcase the immense potential of the country as an investment destination. With an average GDP growth rate of 5% over the last decade, Georgia also received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows surged of USD 2.3 billion in 2022, marking the highest investment inflow ever recorded. In spite of a challenging international environment, in 2023 FDI inflows reached USD 1.9 billion in 2023.
The Guidelines also outline the key factors making Georgia and its growing tourism sector an attractive destination for international investors, including:
The rich tapestry of natural beauty and cultural heritage, featuring over 12,000 historical monuments and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Significant growth in the hospitality and real estate sectors. In 2023, it welcomed 6.2 million international visitors, generating USD 4.1 billion in revenue. The expansion of international brand hotels and robust real estate market, attracting over USD 500 million in FDI in recent years.
Transparency and regulatory efficiency. Economic reforms, such as the Association Agreement and DCFTA with the EU, and recent EU Candidate Status.
