Date: Tuesday, 17th February 2026; 4th Annual Day.
Sponsor: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)
Objectives:
- To highlight the importance of building resilience in the tourism sector to effectively respond to challenges such as those posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To recognize tourism as a vital, cross-sector industry that drives progress across all three pillars of sustainable development and supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- To promote sustainable and resilient tourism as a key to formalizing the informal sector, strengthening domestic resource mobilization, and protecting the environment—including the conservation and responsible use of biodiversity and natural resources.
Inception:
The Global Tourism Resilience Day was first celebrated at United Nations Headquarters in New York on February 17, 2023.
History:
On 6 February 2023, the General Assembly established 17 February as Global Tourism Resilience Day, through resolution A/RES/77/269, to be observed yearly. The resolution urges Member States to create strategies for recovery after disruptions, promote public-private cooperation, diversify tourism activities and products, and raise awareness about sustainable tourism.
Background:
Tourism was one of the industries most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020 alone, tourism’s direct contribution to global GDP dropped by more than half, resulting in a loss of $2 trillion. Combined losses for 2020 and 2021 reached $3.6 trillion, accounting for nearly 70% of the total decrease in world GDP in 2020. International tourist arrivals fell by 84% between March and December 2020 compared to the previous year, causing unprecedented reductions in foreign currency earnings, GDP, and employment.
Because tourism links people to nature, sustainable approaches in the sector promote environmental stewardship and conservation efforts. Activities like ecotourism support all three pillars of sustainable development and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by driving economic growth, reducing poverty, and providing decent work opportunities for everyone.
Official website:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/tourism-resilience-day
