A renewed vision for tourism

Madrid, Spain, 23rd January 2024:

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) enters a new era today with a new name and brand: UN Tourism. With this new brand, the organization reaffirms its status as the United Nations specialized agency for tourism and the global leader of tourism for development, driving social and economic change to ensure that “people and planet” are always center stage.

To achieve this goal, UN Tourism engaged the services of Interbrand, the leading global branding agency. Interbrand successfully translated the Organization’s renewed vision for tourism into a new visual identity and brand narrative.

This involved renaming the Organization, transitioning from UNWTO to UN Tourism. At the same time, a new brand narrative was meticulously crafted, one that seamlessly aligns with UN Tourism’s central mission and priorities. This narrative 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.

By moving away from acronyms, UN Tourism adopts a more approachable stance and capitalizes on its strengths: the “UN”, signifying authority, and “tourism”, a simple and relatable concept for all. This change highlights the profound transformation and reinvention of UN Tourism in recent years, as it has become more agile and visible.

Bring the world together

With 160 Member States and hundreds of private sector affiliates, UN Tourism has its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, and Regional Offices in Nara, Japan, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as forthcoming Regional Offices for the Americas and Africa. Its priorities center on promoting tourism education, supporting decent jobs in the sector, driving innovation and accelerating tourism climate action and sustainability.  UN Tourism works with:

• Member States – both as recipients of its assistance and as active stakeholders in the Organization’s Programme of Work.
• Individuals – specifically travelers and local communities whose lives flourish through the empowerment of the economy through tourism.
• Private, semi-private, and public organizations – all engaging with UN Tourism’s work, including its data and insights, events and products.

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.”

Borja Borrero, Executive Director at Interbrand, said: “Transitioning from UNWTO to UN Tourism marks a significant new phase for the organization. The revised nomenclature offers several advantages, including simplicity, enhanced comprehension, improved legibility and memorability. It also serves to clarify the agency’s sphere of influence within the global tourism industry. The new elements of the brand are the foundations of a distinct and proprietary image – one that is direct, relatable, and relevant for diverse audiences.”

The new brand expression is not only limited to words and messages but also expands into a reinvented visual discourse. UN Tourism has a new design language starting from its symbol. “Bringing the world closer” is the new tagline that inspires the concept of a Pangea shaping a human figure in action.  This drastic evolution from the former globe symbols reflects the Organization’s emphasis on the dynamic nature of tourism and on putting people first.

Beyond the symbol, the rebrand also includes a revamp of the entire visual system, which is now based on a grid of geographical coordinates meant to help people navigate the brand’s touchpoints, both offline and online, such as events, website, reports, social media channels and campaigns. This system unlocks a rich universe of elements including imagery, fonts, colors, and pictograms all designed to personalize social media campaigns, events, posts, and videos.

The new brand will be gradually implemented across all UN Tourism touchpoints over the next few months, beginning with digital channels such as the website, social media accounts and newsletters, followed by physical spaces such as offices and events, and elements such as reports and stationary.

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CONTACT

Grace Masters, Pumpkin
[email protected]
[email protected]
+44 7919 685 784

Sarah Owen, Pumpkin
[email protected]
+44 7958 202990

UN Tourism Communications Department
[email protected]  

About Interbrand

Interbrand has been a world leading brand consultancy for over 45 years – having pioneered iconic work and forged many of the brand building tools that are commonplace across the industry today.

In collaboration with the world’s leading brands, Interbrand’s global team of thinkers and makers are pioneering the future of brand building. By turning customers into active participants, Interbrand helps clients strengthen their brands on an ongoing basis – its approach gives them the confidence to make Iconic Moves that spark desire and create utility, driving extraordinary results.

Interbrand is a part of Omnicom’s Brand Consulting Group that sits in the Communications Consulting Network.