UNWTO rebrands as UN Tourism

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), with the help of global branding agency Interbrand, has a new visual identity and brand narrative: UN Tourism.

The new brand narrative is supposed to "seamlessly align" with UN Tourism’s central mission, and pivots around three main messages: the UN as a global altruistic organization, the notion of connecting humans around the world, and the concept of proactivity and movement. It's believed dropping the acronym will make the organization "more approachable" while "UN" in the brand will signify authority, and "Tourism" will be a simple and relatable concept for all. Also the new brand is intended to reflect the transformation and reinvention of UNWTO in recent years: more agile and visible, closer to the 160 UN member states, and partnered with the tourism sector as a whole.

UN Tourism is headquartered in Madrid, and has regional offices in Nara, JP and Riyadh, SA. New regional offices are planned for Brazil and Morocco.

Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of UN Tourism, said:

“As society progresses, the tourism sector, much like many other sectors, needs to transform to serve as a catalyst for prosperity at a universal scale. Enhancing the well-being of individuals, safeguarding the natural environment, stimulating economic advancement, and fostering international harmony are key goals that are the fundamental essence of UN Tourism. The organization takes on the role of driving a sustainable force that is now central to many economies.”

The organization's new tagline is "Bringing the world closer" and a new logo (I quote): "the concept of a pangea shaping a human figure in action." I had to look that up: a pangea is a sort of world-globe-like thing, and theirs has superimposed upon it a running stick-human. (See the video.)

The new brand identity will be gradually rolled out over the next few months, beginning with digital channels.