Austria and UN Tourism Forge Stronger Partnerships for Sustainable Growth
High-level discussions between UN Tourism and Austria have paved the way for deeper collaboration in advancing sustainable tourism, enhancing statistical frameworks, and promoting development initiatives.
In Vienna, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili engaged in strategic meetings that underscored Austria’s pivotal role in sustainable tourism. Austria’s contributions include six of its villages being recognized under the UN Tourism’s Best Tourism Village Programme and the Tyrol region joining the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) as a new member.
A key meeting with Susanne Kraus-Winkler, Austria’s State Secretary for Tourism, highlighted the country’s leadership as Co-Chair of the Committee on Statistics. Discussions focused on the implementation of the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), a groundbreaking tool approved by the United Nations Statistical Commission earlier this year. Austria’s efforts were instrumental in crafting this framework, designed to evaluate tourism’s economic, social, and environmental dimensions.
Further discussions with Ambassador Harald Stranzl, Director for Foreign Economic Relations, explored ways Austria could leverage its expertise to foster global development in tourism. Both parties emphasized Austria’s potential to share its technical capabilities and innovative practices to advance sustainable tourism worldwide.
Secretary-General Pololikashvili said: “A leading tourism destination like Austria can play an important role in advancing global tourism issues, such as the SF-MST, while at the same time to ensure that through such measurement instruments tourism remains a key driver of sustainable and inclusive development. UN Tourism commends Austria’s clear commitment to shaping a sustainable and resilient tourism future, and its leadership at both the regional and global level in this regard that also is highlighted through a comparatively big number of Best Tourism Villages and one of the leading destinations as a member in the INSTO Network.”
According to recent data from UN Tourism, Austria continues to excel in international tourism. In 2023, the country welcomed 30.9 million international visitors, placing it 10th globally for tourist arrivals. Additionally, Austria ranked 19th in tourism receipts, generating €22.8 billion—a figure 11% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
These meetings reaffirm Austria’s position as a global leader in sustainable tourism and highlight its commitment to advancing innovative practices and international cooperation.
–TWT
