The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is now known as UN Tourism.
With this new brand, the organisation reaffirms its status as the United Nations specialised agency for tourism and the global leader of tourism for development, driving social and economic change to ensure that “people and planet” are always centre stage.
Transitioning from UNWTO to UN Tourism, a new brand narrative was crafted to seamlessly align with UN Tourism’s central mission and priorities. This narrative pivots around three main messages: the UN as a global altruistic organisation, the notion of connecting humans around the world, and the concept of proactivity and movement.
By moving away from acronyms, UN Tourism adopts a more approachable stance and capitalises on its strengths: the UN, signifying authority; and tourism, a simple and relatable concept for all. This change has been endorsed by the organisation’s membership, highlighting its united support for the profound transformation and reinvention of UN Tourism in recent years, as it has become more agile, visible, and ever closer to its Member States, partners and the sector as a whole.
UN Tourism’s new tagline, Bringing the world closer inspires the design concept of its new symbol: a Pangea shaping a human figure in action. This evolution from the former globe symbols reflects the organisation’s emphasis on the dynamic nature of tourism and on putting people first.
Beyond the symbol, the rebrand also includes a revamp of the entire visual system, which is now based on a grid of geographical coordinates meant to help people navigate the brand’s touch points, both offline and online, such as events, website, reports, social media channels and campaigns. This system unlocks a rich universe of elements including imagery, fonts, colours, and pictograms all designed to personalise social media campaigns, events, posts, and videos.
The new brand will be gradually implemented across all UN Tourism touch points over the next few months, beginning with digital channels such as the website, social media accounts and newsletters, followed by physical spaces such as offices and events, and elements such as reports and stationery.
Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary-general of UN Tourism, said: “As society progresses, the tourism sector, much like many other sectors, needs to transform to serve as a catalyst for prosperity at a universal scale. Enhancing the well-being of individuals, safeguarding the natural environment, stimulating economic advancement, and fostering international harmony are key goals that are the fundamental essence of UN Tourism. The organisation takes on the role of driving a sustainable force that is now central to many economies.”
With 160 Member States and hundreds of private sector affiliates, UN Tourism has its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, and regional offices in Nara (Japan) covering Asia and Pacific, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) for the Middle East, as well as forthcoming regional offices for the Americas (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Africa (Morocco). Its priorities centre on promoting tourism for sustainable development in line with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Global Goals.
