‘Invest in tourism for peace’: UN Tourism Unites Ministers Around Shared Vision at ITB Berlin

Germany

UN Tourism has returned to ITB Berlin 2025, placing the need for investments and the sector’s role as a vehicle of peace high on the agenda of the world’s biggest travel trade show.

As it celebrates its 50th year, the United Nations specialized agency is reaffirming its founding vision of tourism for peace and security whilst also looking ahead to a more resilient and inclusive sector underscored by investments and innovation. At Messe Berlin, a UN Tourism Affiliate Member, UN Tourism again served as the bridge between public and private leaders and for the first time hosted a high-level summit featuring Ministers of Tourism from 23 countries.

Officially opening ITB Berlin 2025, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “As we have in Berlin and in many other parts of the world, when people can travel freely and when everyone can benefit from tourism, they are more likely to back peaceful resolutions and work together. And peace and security allow us to achieve our vision for the future. Our focus on education, innovation, and investment is ensuring that tourism is not only a driver of economic growth but also a vehicle for empowerment and sustainability.”

Secretary-General Pololikashvili also congratulated His Excellency Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, for overseeing his country’s remarkable growth as a destination. Albania, the host country of ITB Berlin 2025, was the top-performing country in Europe in 2024 in terms of increase in arrivals since before the start of the pandemic. It also hosted UN Tourism’s Regional Commission for Europe in 2024 and is a leading destination in tourism investments, as highlighted in the newly-updated UN Tourism Investment Guidelines for the country.

Landmark first Ministers Summit focuses on investment and peace

In Berlin, UN Tourism and ITB celebrated a landmark first with a High-Level Ministerial Discussion on “Enhancing Investment, Ensuring Peace: Harnessing Growth, Shaping the Future.” Joining Ministers of Tourism and high-level representatives of 23 countries were Julia Simpson President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), from the UN Tourism’s global Affiliate Members Network, the International Air Transportation Association (IATA), and, the Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The leaders focused on the vital need for peace and security to attract investments, on the importance of public-private partnerships, and on good governance to ensure that investments deliver benefits for the sector as well as for host communities, showcasing good practice from destinations worldwide.

During ITB Berlin, the UN Tourism leadership seized the chance to hold high-level meetings with several of its Member States. In Berlin, bilateral meetings were held with Ministers or other top representatives of Armenia, Cambodia Croatia, Indonesia, Poland, Montenegro and Venezuela.