ACCORDING to United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Urban Tourism is “a type of tourism activity which takes place in an urban space with its inherent attributes characterized by non-agricultural based economy such as administration, manufacturing, trade and services and by being nodal points of transport.
Urban/city destinations offer a broad and heterogeneous range of cultural, architectural, technological, social and natural experiences and products for leisure and business”.
According to the United Nations, in 2015, 54% of the world’s population lived in urban areas and, by 2030; this share is expected to reach 60%. Along with other key pillars, tourism constitutes a central component in the economy, social life and the geography of many cities in the world and is thus a key element in urban development policies.
Urban tourism can represent a driving force in the development of many cities and countries contributing to the progress of the New Urban Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in particular, Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Tourism is intrinsically linked to how a city develops itself and provides more and better living conditions to its residents and visitors.
Fulfilling tourism’s potential as a tool of sustainable and inclusive growth for cities requires a multi-stakeholder and multilevel approach based on close cooperation among tourism and non-tourism administrations at different levels, private sector, local communities and tourists themselves.
Likewise, the sustainable development and management of tourism in cities needs to be integrated into the wider urban agenda.- marketintelligence.unwto.org
