Tourism and Culture

The convergence between tourism and culture, and the increasing interest of visitors in cultural experiences, bring unique opportunities but also complex challenges for the tourism sector.

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“Tourism policies and activities should be conducted with respect for the artistic, archaeological and cultural heritage, which they should protect and pass on to future generations; particular care should be devoted to preserving monuments, worship sites, archaeological and historic sites as well as upgrading museums which must be widely open and accessible to tourism visits”

UN Tourism Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics

Article 7, paragraph 2

This webpage provides UN Tourism resources aimed at strengthening the dialogue between tourism and culture and an informed decision-making in the sphere of cultural tourism. It also promotes the exchange of good practices showcasing inclusive management systems and innovative cultural tourism experiences.

About Cultural Tourism

According to the definition adopted by the UN Tourism General Assembly, at its 22nd session (2017), Cultural Tourism implies “A type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/products relate to a set of distinctive material, intellectual, spiritual and emotional features of a society that encompasses arts and architecture, historical and cultural heritage, culinary heritage, literature, music, creative industries and the living cultures with their lifestyles, value systems, beliefs and traditions”.

UN Tourism provides support to its members in strengthening cultural tourism policy frameworks, strategies and product development. It also provides guidelines for the tourism sector in adopting policies and governance models that benefit all stakeholders, while promoting and preserving cultural elements.

Accessibility to Culture, Historical Heritage and Protected Nature Areas

UN Tourism held a workshop at the UNESCO Regional Office in Havana focused on improving accessibility to cultural heritage sites and protected nature areas. The session explored strategies to ensure that all people can fully enjoy historical monuments, museums, parks, beaches, and natural areas, while integrating accessibility into planning and education across the tourism and culture sectors.

Workshop on Fashion and Cultural Tourism

USI – Università della Svizzera italiana , in collaboration with UN Tourism, hosted a workshop on fashion and cultural tourism in October 2025 . Held in Lugano, the event brought together policymakers, researchers and industry professionals working in product development, marketing, and communication. Participants from destination management organizations of Tuscany (Italy) and the City of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and the Lugano Lifestyle Tech Competence Center explored how fashion and tourism joint strategies can spark innovation and sustainable growth.

The presentation of good practices from Indonesia, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Tanzania also highlighted diverse ways to connect creators, businesses and destinations.

Compendium of Good Practices in Indigenous Tourism – Regional Focus on Asia and the Pacific

UN Tourism and WINTA have partnered once again to produce a new report, this time focusing on Asia and the Pacific. The publication highlights 14 case studies from Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations, communities, and public and private sector entities across the region. It also offers recommendations for public administrations and destinations to promote sustainable and equitable indigenous tourism development.

Read the full report

Fashion and Cultural Tourism – Connecting Creators, Businesses and Destinations

In April 2025, UN Tourism, in collaboration with USI – Università della Svizzera italiana, launched the report Fashion and Cultural Tourism – Connecting Creators, Businesses and Destinations. This report explores the dynamic relationship between fashion - as a key part of the creative economy - and the cultural tourism ecosystem. It provides case studies from 11 countries and guidelines for destinations on how to attract visitors, create trade opportunities and safeguard their unique cultural heritage, through fashion.

Photo credit of the Summary's cover page: www.banglanatak.com

Recommendations for Cultural Tourism Key Players on Accessibility

UN Tourism, Fundación ONCE and UNE issued in September 2023, a set of guidelines targeting key players of the cultural tourism ecosystem, who wish to make their offerings more accessible.

The key partners in the drafting and expert review process were the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). The ICOMOS experts’ input was key in covering crucial action areas where accessibility needs to be put in the spotlight, in order to make cultural experiences more inclusive for all people.

This guidance tool is also framed within the promotion of the ISO Standard ISO 21902, in whose development UN Tourism had one of the leading roles.

Download here the English and Spanish version of the Recommendations.

Compendium of Good Practices in Indigenous Tourism - Regional Focus on the Americas

The first UN Tourism Compendium of Good Practices in Indigenous Tourism – Regional Focus on the Americas, developed with the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA), was released in March 2023. It highlights leading initiatives by Indigenous communities and organizations across 11 countries in the region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States. The report also offers a conceptual framework to guide responsible, well-managed and sustainable Indigenous tourism development in the region.

For downloads, please visit the UN Tourism E-library page:

Download in English - Download in Spanish.

Weaving the Recovery - Indigenous Women in Tourism

At the 2020 Paris Peace Forum, UN Tourism and its partners presented a Weaving the Recovery project to enable market access of indigenous women to tourism and conscious consumers through textiles, fair trade and community entrepreneurship.

This initiative, which gathers UN Tourism, t he World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA), Centro de las Artes Indígenas (CAI) and the NGO IMPACTO, was selected as one of the ten most promising projects amoung 850+ initiatives to address the most pressing global challenges. The project will test different methodologies in pilot communities, starting with Mexico, to enable indigenous women access markets and demonstrate their leadership in the post-COVID recovery.

This empowerment model, based on promoting a responsible tourism development, cultural transmission and fair-trade principles, will represent a novel community approach with a high global replication potential.

Weaving the Recovery - Indigenous Women in Tourism project

Inclusive Recovery of Cultural Tourism

In February 2021, UN Tourism launched the UN Tourism Inclusive Recovery Guide - Sociocultural Impacts of COVID-19, Issue II: Cultural Tourism. UN Tourism invited UNESCO to contribute to this second set of guidelines relating to the sociocultural impacts of COVID-19. The publication draws on the insights of the two UN agencies to analyse the impact of the pandemic and suggests solutions for cultural tourism to prosper again, under the principles of shared responsibilities and greater inclusion.

The release of the guidelines comes within the context of the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development 2021, a UN initiative designed to recognize how culture and creativity, including cultural tourism, can contribute to advancing the SDGs.

UN Tourism Inclusive Recovery Guide, Issue 4: Indigenous Communities

UN Tourism, the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance (WINTA) and OECD have joined efforts to contribute to the UN Tourism Inclusive Recovery Guide - Sociocultural Impacts of COVID-19, Issue 4: Indigenous Communities, the fourth set of guidelines relating to the socio-cultural impacts of COVID-19 on tourism.  This set of guidelines has been developed by the UN Tourism Ethics, Culture and Social Responsibility Department, in collaboration with Indigenous leaders, while also benefitting from inputs provided by OECD.

The recommendations suggest specific solutions for the socio-economic empowerment of Indigenous Peoples through tourism. These include transitioning from “assisting” towards “enabling” indigenous entrepreneurship, strengthening skills and building capacities, fostering digital literacy for running indigenous tourism businesses, and, acknowledging the relevance of indigenous peoples and their cultural capital by destination authorities and the tourism sector, at large. (Also available in Spanish).

Recovery Guide - Sociocultural Impacts of COVID-19, Issue 4: Indigenous Communities

Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tourism

The Recommendations on Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tourism provide guidance to tourism stakeholders to develop their operations in a responsible and sustainable manner within those indigenous communities that wish to:

  • Open up to tourism development, or
  • Improve the management of the existing tourism experiences within their communities.

They were prepared by the UN Tourism Ethics, Culture and Social Responsibility Department in close consultation with indigenous tourism associations, indigenous entrepreneurs and advocates. The Recommendations were endorsed by the World Committee on Tourism Ethics and finally adopted by the UN Tourism General Assembly in 2019, as a landmark document of the Organization in this sphere.

Who are these Recommendations targeting?

  1. Tour operators and travel agencies
  2. Tour guides
  3. Indigenous communities
  4. Tourists
  5. Other stakeholders such as governments, policy makers and destinations

The Recommendations address some of the key questions regarding indigenous tourism:

  • How can indigenous tourism result in equitable partnerships?
  • How can tourism experiences benefit both communities and tourism operators?
  • How can tour operators contribute to the empowerment of indigenous communities?
  • How can guides promote indigenous culture while enriching the experience for the visitors?
  • How can communities be drivers of tourism entrepreneurship and protect their resources?
  • How can indigenous communities set the limits of tourism development?
  • What kind of information visitors need prior to visiting indigenous communities?
  • How can visitors contribute to improving the communities’ livelihoods?

Download PDF:

Recommendations on Sustainable Development of Indigenous Tourism

Recomendaciones sobre el desarrollo sostenible del turismo indígena, ESP

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