The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) published for the second consecutive year a brochure on “Tourism in the BSEC region”, with a comprehensive description of the economic environment, tourism trends and opportunities for enhancing sustainable tourism in the BSEC region. Perhaps the most notable indicator is that international tourist arrivals in BSEC destinations grew 12% in 2017, well above Europe’s average growth of 8%. The brochure, which singles out the BSEC area as a distinct tourism region, contains the latest tourism data from all BSEC Member States and is the tangible result of the expanding cooperation between the BSEC Organization and the UNWTO. It represents a continuation of the joint endeavor of the two Organizations aiming to promote the BSEC region as one of the leading tourism destinations of the world, as well as an attractive region for investments in the tourism sector.
The UNWTO, a UN specialized agency, enjoys the status of a BSEC Sectoral Dialogue Partner; the two Organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2014.