At the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), tourism emerged as a major actor in shaping a sustainable and resilient ocean economy. With oceans under unprecedented pressure from climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, stakeholders from across the tourism sector met to launch new partnerships, align financing mechanisms, and scale up initiatives and action to regenerate marine ecosystems and support coastal communities.
The momentum was driven by the high-level side event “Blue Tourism: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economies for People and Planet,” convened by UN Tourism and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) under the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme. The session brought together ministers, multilateral institutions, private sector leaders, and civil society to discuss how circular approaches, climate action and regenerative investment can transform tourism’s relationship with the ocean – in line with the strategic pathways of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism.
Zoritsa Urosevic, Executive Director of UN Tourism, said: “Tourism accounts for 33% of the blue economy, ahead of maritime transport at 22% and fisheries at just 5%. This gives us not only influence - but responsibility. Our shared goal is to decouple tourism growth from environmental harm towards a regenerative model - placing science at the core - and ensure the communities who depend on healthy oceans are not left behind.”
Speakers included Ambassador Peter Thomson, Ministers of Tourism, Environment and Transport from the governments of Costa Rica, France, and Uzbekistan, UNCDF, the World Bank, International Trade Centre, IDDRI, and global hospitality leader Accor. Access the programme here
The event also marked the official launch of the 2024 Annual Report of the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI), one of the flagship initiatives of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme, reinforcing efforts to reduce pollution at the source and promote circular solutions across tourism value chains. Access the report here
Jorge Laguna-Celis, Head of the One Planet Network at UNEP, said: “While tourism plays a vital role in many coastal economies, it is also a major contributor to plastic pollution - a pressing environmental challenge that threatens the health of fragile marine ecosystems. This report highlights the ongoing efforts made by our signatories in tackling problematic plastics in the sector and thus contributing to the resilience of coastal tourism economies”. -TradeArabia News Service
