UN Tourism Ministers’ Summit 2026: Unpacking the Link Between Tourism and Global Peace
On Monday, 2 March, during ITB Berlin’s CityCube Berlin in Germany, Shaikha Al Nuwais, Secretary-General of United Nations (UN) Tourism, stressed the close correlation between tourism and peace. The tourism industry requires peace, and peace, in turn, fosters tourism; this interdependence is critical to advancing tourism connectivity and infrastructure, enabling destination development and turning potential into sustainable reality.
The summit brought together tourism ministers, private sector leaders, and global industry stakeholders, with Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri in attendance. The Indonesian delegation engaged in dialogue and exchange of views on strategic issues that pose challenges as well as opportunities for developing destinations.
The high-level forum, organised by UN Tourism in partnership with Messe Berlin, carried the theme ‘Empowering Emerging Destinations: From Potential to Performance’ and served as a key moment to strengthen global collaboration amid a robust recovery of world tourism. The forum highlighted the importance of robust governance in managing growth to keep it on track and ensure it does not overburden infrastructure, communities, or the environment.
The forum also discussed aligning investments with destination priorities and tangible benefits for local communities, strengthening human resource capacity, and leveraging data and digital technologies to support planning and innovation in the tourism sector.
‘Global tourism growth must be accompanied by inclusive, sustainable, and collaborative policies. Indonesia views destination transformation as not only focused on increasing visitor numbers but also on the quality of the travel experience, equitable economic benefits, and long-term destination resilience,’ Widiyanti said.
Indonesia also shared experiences in community-based destination development, sustainable tourism strategies, and public-private partnership models that promote high-quality investment with broad impact.
Indonesia’s participation in the UN Tourism Ministers’ Summit 2026 reaffirmed the country’s commitment to bolstering tourism diplomacy and expanding its international cooperation network. Indonesia received praise and was cited as an example by many global tourism ministers, particularly in investment and promotion, destination management, and the use of technology, especially AI, in tourism marketing strategies.
Bima Arya urged the maturation of the Green Island concept for Nusa Penida, which must be integrated with the Detailed Spatial Plan (RDTR) to ensure development proceeds in a structured and sustainable manner.