UN Tourism and WTCF promote data-driven approach to urban tourism

17-03-24

UN Tourism and the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) have launched a new report highlighting the need to measure the social and environmental impacts of tourism in urban destinations.

The report assesses the current status and challenges of tourism data at the city level. The analysis will help promote the creation of a global database on urban tourism, enabling a better understanding and comparison of its volume and value, both globally and by region.

More and better data needed  

The new report provides an overview of the current situation regarding tourism data collection and reporting in 22 destinations in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. In the study:  

• Existing indicators and relevant data are identified, highlighting efforts made to pave the way towards the creation of a global city tourism database. 

• It addresses the importance of measuring impacts beyond economic factors and adding socio-cultural and environmental dimensions to city tourism.  

• It provides an overview of the potential use of mega-data to measure city tourism, including key challenges, with a view to improving key elements of smart destinations, including technology and governance.  

The report was launched during the 2024 edition of the world's leading travel and tourism trade fair, ITB Berlin. 

Towards a global city tourism database 

UN Tourism, with the support of the United Nations Statistics Division, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other parties, is leading the creation of a statistical framework for Measuring Sustainable Tourism (MST). This will develop a common approach to create harmonized data at national and sub-national levels to support the analysis of tourism activity and its sustainability at all scales. 

To date, the UN Tourism International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories has played a crucial role in assisting destinations in their efforts to monitor and assess the economic, environmental and social impacts of tourism by promoting sustainable tourism practices locally and globally.