Tourism responds to the ocean challenge at UNOC3: a unified call for a blue transformation
At the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the sector emerged as a key player in building a sustainable and resilient ocean economy
The high-level event, “Blue Tourism: Powering Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economies for People and Planet,” was convened by UN Tourism and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Agenda. It 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 shipping at 22% and fisheries at just 5%. This gives us not only influence but also responsibility. Our shared goal is to decouple tourism growth from environmental damage towards a regenerative model, with science at its core, and ensure that communities that depend on healthy oceans are not left behind.”
Speakers included Ambassador Peter Thomson, the Ministers of Tourism, Environment, and Transport from the governments of Costa Rica, France, and Uzbekistan, UNCDF, the World Bank, the International Trade Centre, IDDRI, and Accor, the global hospitality leader.
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, which strengthens efforts to reduce pollution at source and promote circular solutions in tourism value chains. Access the report here.
Jorge Laguna-Celis, Director of UNEP's One Planet Network, said: "While tourism plays a vital role in many coastal economies, it also contributes significantly to plastic pollution, a pressing environmental issue that threatens the health of fragile marine ecosystems. This report highlights the ongoing efforts of our signatories to address the plastics challenge in the sector and, in doing so, contribute to the resilience of coastal tourism economies."
Source: UN Tourism.