Global Tourism Resilience Day
Imagine the world bustling with travelers, from snowy peaks to sunny beaches, all exploring, learning, and connecting.
Then, suddenly, a global pandemic hits, stopping everyone in their tracks. Airports turn into ghost towns, and once-crowded markets stand silent.
This is the backdrop against which Global Tourism Resilience Day emerges. It’s a call to action, reminding us to prepare, adapt, and strengthen the tourism sector against future shocks!
Global Tourism Resilience Day Timeline
1963
First UN Conference on International Travel and Tourism
The United Nations holds its first global tourism conference in Rome, highlighting tourism’s role in economic growth and the need for coordinated international policies.
2005
UNWTO Creates Crisis Committee After Asian Tsunami
Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, UNWTO sets up a dedicated crisis committee to support affected destinations and integrate disaster risk reduction into tourism recovery.
2008–2009
Global Financial Crisis Tests Tourism Resilience
The global financial crisis brings the first decline in international tourist arrivals in years, prompting governments and UNWTO to emphasize resilience, diversification, and risk management in tourism.
2013
Sendai Process Links Disaster Risk Reduction and Tourism
Negotiations leading to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction begin, later encouraging countries to integrate sectors such as tourism into national resilience and risk-management strategies.
2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Causes Unprecedented Tourism Collapse
International tourist arrivals fall 74% in 2020, with destinations worldwide losing about 1 billion arrivals, underscoring the urgency of building resilient, crisis-ready tourism systems.
How to Celebrate Global Tourism Resilience Day
Celebrating Global Tourism Resilience Day offers a unique opportunity to highlight the strength and recovery of the tourism sector. Here are some engaging ways to mark the occasion:
Educational Workshops
Attend or organize workshops on crisis management within the tourism industry. These can be particularly useful for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and future tourism entrepreneurs.
Support Local Tourism
Plan a visit to local attractions or tourism businesses. This not only boosts local economies but also helps you understand and appreciate the resilience of local tourism sectors.
Share Knowledge
Use social media or blogs to share stories of resilience and recovery in tourism. Highlighting successful rebound stories from crises can inspire others and spread awareness.
Promote Sustainable Practices
Advocate for and adopt sustainable tourism practices. Sustainability is key to resilience, as it ensures tourism can more effectively withstand and recover from challenges.
Volunteer for Conservation Projects
Many tourism destinations rely on natural beauty and biodiversity. Volunteering for conservation projects helps protect these assets, contributing to tourism resilience in those areas.
History of Global Tourism Resilience Day
Global Tourism Resilience Day marks a significant point in the history of global tourism. It addresses the need for the tourism sector to quickly recover from various global crises.
Celebrated for the first time on February 17, 2023, this day was established by a United Nations General Assembly resolution led by Jamaica. The idea behind the day is to encourage nations worldwide to build a more robust, resilient tourism industry capable of facing future challenges.
The day serves as a reminder of tourism’s vulnerability and the importance of preparing for unforeseen events. It emphasizes capacity-building, awareness, and the adoption of practices that ensure tourism’s sustainability and resilience.
This initiative has received support from over 90 countries, highlighting its global significance and the collective effort to safeguard one of the world’s major economic sectors.
Jamaica has been lauded for its leadership in initiating the Global Tourism Resilience Day, with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General praising the country’s efforts.
The initiative is seen as a legacy project that aims to prepare countries better to deal with tourism crises, such as pandemics and natural disasters. This day also provides a platform for sharing best practices and expertise in crisis management, contributing to a more resilient future for global tourism.
On this day communities, governments, and businesses unite, sharing knowledge and strategies to make travel more sustainable and resilient. It’s about turning challenges into stepping stones for a brighter, more adventurous future.
Global Tourism Resilience Day, celebrated annually for more than a decade, is a significant occasion that highlights the importance of sustainable and resilient tourism.
This day was chosen to encourage the global community to focus on building a more robust tourism sector capable of withstanding various challenges, from natural disasters to pandemics. It also serves as a call to action for building capacity and fostering a greater consciousness about the significance of resilient tourism!
Facts About Global Tourism Resilience Day
Tourism’s Outsized Role in the Global Economy
Before the COVID‑19 crisis, tourism directly accounted for about 3% of global GDP and around 4% of total employment worldwide, while its broader impacts through supply chains and induced spending were estimated at roughly 10% of global GDP and 1 in 10 jobs, underscoring why shocks to travel rapidly ripple through national and local economies.
How COVID‑19 Became Tourism’s Worst Shock on Record
International tourist arrivals collapsed by 72% in 2020 compared with 2019, returning global travel volumes to levels last seen in the late 1980s and leading to an estimated loss of US$2.1 trillion in direct tourism GDP—more than three times the impact of the 2009 global financial crisis on the sector.
Small Island Destinations Are Extremely Tourism-Dependent
In many Small Island Developing States, tourism accounts for more than 30% of exports of goods and services—and in some cases over 50%—making these destinations especially vulnerable to external shocks such as hurricanes, pandemics, and economic downturns and therefore central to global discussions on tourism resilience.
Disaster Risk Reduction Is Now a Core Tourism Strategy
Destination resilience frameworks increasingly integrate disaster risk reduction: UN guidelines urge tourism authorities to map hazards, enforce building codes for hotels and coastal infrastructure, and maintain evacuation and early‑warning systems so that visitor‑heavy areas can both protect travelers and restart operations more quickly after extreme events.
Diversifying Tourism Products Helps Destinations Bounce Back
Research on post-crisis recovery shows that destinations that broaden their tourism offer—such as adding cultural, nature-based, or community tourism alongside traditional sun-and-sea packages—tend to recover international arrivals faster because they can appeal to new markets and spread risk across different visitor segments.
Community-Based Tourism Can Strengthen Local Resilience
Community-based tourism initiatives, where residents co-own and manage visitor experiences, have been shown to increase household incomes, encourage conservation of local ecosystems, and build social networks that act as informal safety nets when crises such as natural disasters or pandemics disrupt mainstream tourism flows.
Climate Change Is Reshaping Coastal and Island Tourism
Low-lying coastal and island destinations face sea-level rise, coral bleaching, and stronger storms that threaten beaches and reefs; in response, many tourism planners now factor climate adaptation into resort siting, invest in coral reef restoration, and promote lower-impact activities as part of long-term resilience planning.
Global Tourism Resilience Day FAQs
What does “tourism resilience” actually mean in practice?
Tourism resilience generally refers to the ability of destinations, businesses, and communities to prepare for, withstand, adapt to, and recover from shocks such as pandemics, natural disasters, economic crises, or political instability, while maintaining long‑term sustainability.
In practice this can include diversifying tourism products, investing in robust infrastructure, building strong public‑private partnerships, and integrating disaster‑risk reduction and climate adaptation into tourism planning so that visitor flows and local livelihoods can rebound more quickly after a crisis.
How do crises like pandemics or natural disasters typically affect tourism-dependent communities?
Crises can rapidly cut off visitor arrivals, leading to immediate revenue losses for hotels, tour operators, transport services, and informal workers such as guides and street vendors.
In highly tourism‑dependent places, this can trigger job losses, reduced foreign‑exchange earnings, and strain on public finances used to maintain infrastructure and social services.
Over time, communities may also experience social impacts such as rising poverty, business closures, and out‑migration, especially in small island developing states and least developed countries that rely heavily on tourism for employment and tax revenue.
What strategies can destinations use to make their tourism sectors more resilient?
Destinations can strengthen resilience by diversifying tourism offerings (for example, promoting nature‑based, cultural, or community‑based tourism alongside mass tourism), investing in resilient and climate‑smart infrastructure, and developing clear national or regional crisis‑response plans for tourism.
Other key strategies include public‑private cooperation on emergency preparedness, maintaining strong health and safety standards, using digital tools for real‑time information and marketing, and supporting local supply chains so that more tourism income stays within the community and helps buffer future shocks.
Why is sustainable tourism considered a foundation for resilience?
Sustainable tourism aims to balance economic benefits with environmental protection and social well‑being, which helps destinations remain attractive and viable over the long term.
By conserving natural resources and biodiversity, reducing waste and emissions, and respecting local cultures and communities, destinations are less vulnerable to climate and environmental degradation.
At the same time, when tourism revenue supports decent work, poverty reduction, and community development, local people are better equipped to cope with and recover from crises, making the entire tourism system more resilient.
How can small tourism businesses build resilience with limited resources?
Smaller tourism enterprises can increase resilience by diversifying their customer base and services, such as combining accommodation with local experiences, online sales, or remote guiding and education products.
Investing in affordable digital tools—like online booking systems, customer relationship management, and social media marketing—helps them reach new markets quickly when conditions change.
Forming local business networks or cooperatives can also spread risk, pool resources for training or emergency funds, and give small operators a stronger voice in local crisis planning and recovery programs.
Which types of destinations are particularly vulnerable and therefore most in need of tourism resilience planning?
Destinations that are highly dependent on tourism income, geographically isolated, or exposed to climate and environmental risks are especially vulnerable.
These include many small island developing states, least developed countries, and coastal or nature‑based destinations that face hurricanes, sea‑level rise, coral bleaching, or other climate impacts.
Such locations often have limited economic diversification and narrower fiscal space, so disruptions to tourism can quickly threaten jobs, foreign‑exchange earnings, and public services, making structured resilience planning critical.
What role do governments and international organizations play in tourism resilience?
Governments set the policy and regulatory frameworks that guide how tourism develops, including land‑use planning, environmental standards, health protocols, and disaster‑risk management.
They also coordinate emergency response, provide financial support or stimulus during crises, and encourage public‑private partnerships and diversification of tourism products.
International organizations such as the United Nations and the UN World Tourism Organization support countries by providing data, technical guidance, and platforms for sharing best practices, and by aligning tourism resilience efforts with wider sustainable development and climate goals.
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