Tourism Day held for first time at COP in Baku

The First Ministerial Meeting on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism Sector has kicked off today as part of the first-ever "Tourism Day" at COP29.

The event, a brainchild of the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with a helping hand from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), brought together tourism ministers from nearly 30 countries, high-ranking officials from tourism agencies and representatives from various international organizations.

The event is all about getting tourism to play ball with national climate strategies, making sure they’re singing from the same hymn sheet.

Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan Fuad Naghiyev called on countries and stakeholders to join the declaration, stating that the "COP29 Declaration on Strengthening Climate Action in the Tourism Sector" to be presented at the meeting serves as a roadmap for integrating tourism into national and global climate strategies, as well as national contributions.

COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev noted that the historic "Tourism Day," taking place for the first time within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is an important step toward integrating tourism into the global climate agenda in line with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

"Tourism can play a significant role in climate action. By adopting sustainable development methods and innovative technologies, tourism can serve as a model for resilience, adaptation, and mitigation," Babayev said.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stressed that tourism’s inclusion in the COP agenda is a major turning point for the sector. He highlighted that tourism plays a pivotal role in enriching diverse communities and cultures, contributing to 3.4% of global GDP.

"However, as we face the climate crisis, tourism must also be part of the solution. Initiatives like the Baku Declaration and the Glasgow Declaration are shaping pathways to a low-carbon and sustainable future," Pololikashvili said.

The event also featured discussions on the "Climate Action in Tourism Initiative," which was added to the COP29 presidency agenda as a global initiative to strengthen climate action in the tourism sector.

The event will culminate in the launch of the "COP29 Declaration on Strengthening Climate Action in the Tourism Sector," which has already been endorsed by over 50 countries and 8 non-state actors.

The "COP29 Declaration on Strengthening Climate Action in the Tourism Sector," adopted in Baku, builds on the achievements of the "Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism" and aims to further integrate the tourism sector into both national and global climate policies, with the ultimate goal of scaling up climate action across the sector.

As part of "Tourism Day," three high-level roundtables will also take place on topics such as "Raising the Climate Ambition of the Tourism Sector – from commitments to implementation (measurement and decarbonization)," "Raising Climate Ambitions in Tourism Sector – from Commitments to Implementation (Regeneration/Adaptation and Financing)," and "Improving Climate Action in Tourism: Innovative Solutions and Moving Forward," along with various thematic presentations.