UN Tourism has welcomed Vienna as the newest member of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO). With this, Vienna becomes part of a global alliance of 46 destinations dedicated to monitoring tourism’s economic, environmental and social impact at the destination level.
We warmly welcome Vienna to the INSTO network. By joining this global initiative This commitment to sustainability bringing value not only to individual businesses but significantly enhancing the well-being of the entire destination. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism
Through the Sustainable Tourism Observatory, Vienna fosters dialogue, innovation and collective stewardship to co-create sustainable destination development, ensuring tourism enhances the quality of life for all, while preserving Vienna’s unique cultural and natural resources. Norbert Kettner, CEO of Vienna Tourist Board
Vienna’s Strategy as a Global Benchmark
Vienna’s acceptance into INSTO coincides strategically with the launch of its comprehensive Visitor Economy Strategy, a model for integrating sustainability into long-term tourism planning. This holistic approach balances the needs of residents and visitors, responsibly manages natural resources, and prioritizes quality of life. Vienna explicitly recognizes that sustainable tourism involves growth that enhances rather than compromises its identity.
The establishment of the Sustainable Tourism Observatory is central to the implementation of Vienna’s Visitor Economy Strategy. It directly supports the city’s broader ambitions outlined in the Smart Climate City Strategy and the Vienna 2030 – Economy and Innovation location strategy. Through the Sustainable Tourism Observatory, Vienna underscores its commitment to accountability and leadership in sustainability, significantly enhancing its reputation both locally and internationally as a sustainable and innovative travel destination.
About INSTO
The International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO), an initiative of UN Tourism, supports destinations in monitoring tourism’s economic, environmental, and social impact. By promoting evidence-based decision-making, INSTO helps ensure tourism’s long-term sustainability and resilience.
About UN Tourism
The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
Our Priorities
Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.
Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.
Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.
Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members’ competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.
Advancing tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.
Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.
Our Structure
Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.
Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.
Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism’s 500 plus Affiliate members.
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