Book Marks: Short Story Advent Calendar returns for 10th year

Arts & Culture, Books

Breadcrumb Trail LinksEntertainmentBooksLocal ArtsThe latest from Edmonton authors, including Hingston & Olson, Jordan Abel winning a GG award, Omar Mouallem’s new book, and morePublished Nov 22, 2024  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  5 minute readMichael Hingston, one half of Hingston & Olsen is seen at his new bookstore, Porch Light Books on Nov. 8. The duo has released their 10th Short Story Advent calendar in time for the Christmas season. Photo by Shaughn Butts /PostmediaArticle contentFor 10 years, Hingston and Olsen have been compiling literature and counting down to Christmas.Michael Hingston will celebrate 10 years of counting the days to Christmas with the release of the incredibly popular Short Story Advent Calendar.With 250 stories helping literary fans celebrate the holiday season, it’s been a decade of short stories for Hingston. He’s one of the two co-owners of Hingston & Olsen Publishing, the Alberta company that produces the advent calendar.Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters.Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account.Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters.Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account.Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“The first year, I was worried it was too weird, that it was pushed too literary at times,” says Hingston. “I underestimated our readers. I didn’t know if they would come with us.”Those readers did come along for the ride, making it the most popular product in the Hingston & Olsen catalogue and a recurring literary staple; Edmonton continues to be their most popular market for the short story box set. It was also the first project for the Hingston and co-owner Natalie Olsen, a book designer based out of Calgary.Putting together the advent calendar occupies most of Hingston’s year, pouring over short stories and reaching out to authors to bring together the perfect 25 stories to count down the holiday season.His favourite? Impossible to say, but he often slots stories he’s fond of into his birthday, Dec. 23.“Those are ones that are geared to me, exactly the kinds of stories I would want to find in a collection like this,” says Hingston.Hingston waxes lyrical about his long-running Christmas project while standing in his newest endeavour, Porch Light Books (9867 89 Ave.), which opened Nov. 9. It’s a new and used bookstore where he can curate both the new and used books he would want readers to look for.Headline NewsGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Headline News will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againArticle contentAdvertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article content“We’re in a moment in bookselling where we’re moving away from the giant bookstore and moving toward the small bookstore that reflects the owners’ personalities,” says Hingston.Part of that curation will be the entire Hingston & Olsen Publishing product line currently in print, including copies of the Short Story Advent Calendar.For more information about the Short Story Advent Calendar, visit the Hingston & Olsen Publishing website Jordan Abel takes Governor General’s awardAn award-winning author has added to his list with another major Canadian literary award.Jordan Abel has won the Governor General’s Literary Award in the category of Fiction for his book, Empty Spaces. The book was published last August and reimagines The Last of the Mohicans from an urban Nisga’a person’s perspective, with their relationship to land and traditional knowledge severed by colonial violence.Abel is one of seven winners in English literature, with another seven in French writing. Each winning author is awarded $25,000, with another $3,000 going to their publisher to promote the book.Advertisement 4Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentIn 2017, Abel won the Griffin Poetry Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in poetry, for his book Injun. He’s currently a professor at the University of Alberta.For the full list of winners, visit the Governor General’s Literary Awards website Returning “home” through new eyesAn Edmonton author and journalist is bringing together stories about belonging and home in a new collection.Writer and filmmaker Omar Mouallem is one of the editors for Back Where I Came From: On Culture, Identity, and Home, out Nov. 19. It’s a collection of personal essays from 26 writers that focus on travelling back to their motherlands and seeing it through the eyes of a visitor. The contributions explore the experiences of first and second-generation Canadians and Americans who are trying to navigate the world of hyphenated identities.The other editor on the project is Taslim Jaffer. Local writers Steven Sandor and Mariam Ibrahim contributed to the collection. Mouallem’s last book, Praying to the West, won the Wilfrid Eggleston Award for Nonfiction from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta in 2021.Advertisement 5Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentFor more information about the author, visit his website The cover for Light Enough to Float, by Lauren Seal. Photo by SuppliedFormer St. Albert Poet Laureate releases new bookThe former St. Albert poet laureate released a new book last month, blending genres in an important work for youth struggling with anxiety and depression.Light Enough to Float, which came out Oct. 8 from Rocky Pond Books, is the latest release from Lauren Seal. The book follows a young girl named Evie after she’s been admitted to an inpatient ward for an eating disorder. The book is part novel and part poetry, calling it “poetry in verse.”The book was inspired by Seal’s struggles with anorexia, chronic anxiety and depression, as well as her journey as an inpatient and outpatient for an eating disorder at the age of 14.“I read many fictional books about eating disorders as a teen, and was discouraged to find, at best, stories where recovery was depicted as a straightforward process that occurred when you “wanted it enough”, or, at worst, manuals and toolboxes for deepening my own illness,” says Seal.She wanted to write a book that had a realistic depiction of recovery, how wanting to heal can be mixed with the struggle and the journey.Advertisement 6Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentFor more information about the author, visit her websiteVictor & Me in ParisAn Edmonton author is launching a new mystery series, with the lead character calling the city on the Seine home.Victor & Me in Paris is the newest book from Janice MacDonald, a long-time mystery author known for the Randy Craig Mysteries series. In her newest book, Imogene Durant is on the move, finding more adventure than she had planned. While visiting the city of lights, she is drawn into a mystery by her neighbour the police detective as she’s working on her own follow-up to an acclaimed book.Victor & Me was released Nov. 15 and published by Ravenstone Books.To find out more about the author, visit her website Recommended from Editorial Review: Bruce Springsteen delivers anthemic, heartfelt rock show to Rogers Place crowd ‘A timeless tale for a reason’: New director for the Citadel’s A Christmas Carol leans into show’s emotional connection Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.Article contentShare this article in your social networkComments Join the Conversation Featured Local Savings

Yenepoya Naturopathy and Yogic Science College and Hospital Celebrates 7th Naturopathy Day

Science and Health

Spread the love Yenepoya Naturopathy and Yogic Science College and Hospital Celebrates 7th Naturopathy Day Mangaluru: The 7th Naturopathy Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm at the Yenepoya Naturopathy and Yogic Science College and Hospital, organized by the Department of Clinical Naturopathy. The event underscored the significance of naturopathy in promoting a natural and healthy…

Louise Erdrich on ‘The Mighty Red’ and how her legendary books came to be

Arts & Culture, Books

Literary legend Louise Erdrich joined Jenna Bush Hager’s book club last month when her latest novel, “The Mighty Red,” was chosen as a pick.Warm and wise, “The Mighty Red” is a polyphonic novel following members of a close-knit North Dakota community in the mid-2000s, many of whom are Indigenous. Kismet, the 18-year-old daughter of Crystal, a single mother, finds herself in a love triangle. She’s between Gary, the heir to a beet farm empire who just proposed, and Hugo, her best friend who happens to be in love with her.Erdrich told TODAY.com the novel was inspired by her first job working at a beet farm when she was 13. “I was part of an all-girl crew, up before dawn. The hard work has given me a lasting sympathy for field labor and for people who work in the sugar industry,” Erdrich said.A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Erdrich’s award-winning, best-selling novels center around Native American communities. Her novel “The Night Watchman,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2021, was inspired by her grandfather, Patrick Gourneau.Erdrich is also the owner of an indie bookstore, Birchbark Books in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Her 2021 novel “The Sentence” is set at an independent bookstore in Minneapolis).Below, Erdrich answered 10 questions about “The Mighty Red” and her writing career — including whether she plans to write more novels in her “Love Medicine” series and the characters she still misses.TODAY IllustrationOf your many books, is there a book, a character or storyline that has stayed with you the most, or that you’re proudest of? There are parts of each of my books that I like and parts I’d love to change. I’m going to answer this as characters I miss writing the most. Those would be 13-year-old Joe in “The Round House” and Tookie in “The Sentence.” Somehow, who they turned out to be the ones that resonated most for me. Sometimes a character reveals a side of yourself you didn’t know about.Where do you get your inspiration — and when do you know you’ve landed on an idea for a novel? When I say that I start hearing voices, it sounds unreal, but that’s essentially what happens. Lines and phrases take shape, I write them on scraps of paper and tape them in a notebook. Eventually one of those scraps leads to a little more, then a lot more, then a whole world.What is your favorite part of owning a bookstore? Independent local bookstores, like Birchbark Books, bring a lot of comfort to people. Readers have a questing intelligence I really love. That curious bent of mind is something I really value, and the love of books is infectious. I love our customers — selling books is much more than a simple transaction.  There are so many favorite things!You compared writing a character to dealing with a “complicated phone bot.” How do you know when the character has come alive? Yes, writing a character really is like working your way through a complicated phone bot until you get a real person on the other end of the line. Sometimes you have to trick your way through the system many times. Getting a character is like hearing a real voice on the other end of the line, someone who will respond even when you say something irrational, or laugh at a joke. What does your ideal writing day look like? I’ve yet to have one — I write at any time and just try to fit writing into a host of other requirements. I suppose an ideal day is when I write something that hits me emotionally.Are you currently working on another book? I always start a new book before I finish a book. That way I have something to look forward to.Which book of yours was the hardest to write? “The Mighty Red” was extremely difficult — I have a whole other book made of back stories that I had to cut.Can we look forward to more ‘Love Medicine’ books? Not out of the question!Do you prefer to write with a computer, old fashioned pen and paper or a combination of both?I write everything out by hand at first, then I edit those pages and at last type the pages into a computer. Then I print the pages out and go back to editing by hand. I don’t edit on a computer because I might lose the old version and I like seeing handwriting again.What was the biggest hurdle that you had to clear to become a published author?Learning how to write a plot. I wrote for women’s magazines like Redbook and Ladies Home Journal when they printed stories and paid well. I thought I was a poet and was doing this to help support my poetry, but in fact, I liked writing stories and kept doing so in more innovative ways, incorporating my love of engaging language and complicated histories. Eventually I wrote “Love Medicine.” 

Unlocking sleep tourism: What it is and why you should try it

Travel

Do you wish you could take a few days off work to wake up in a beautiful place, eat, sleep for at least 8 hours at night, swim, do yoga, and sleep some more? Well, you are not alone. While you are just thinking about it, many are doing it. This is called sleep tourism. According to a report by Indian Journal of Sleep Medicine, 64% of India’s urban population wakes up before 7 am the highest in the world and 61% sleeps for less than 7 hours a day. Indians are affected by ‘one of the biggest epidemics in the world’, says William C Dement, father of sleep medicine who pioneered the sleep study laboratory at Stanford University. advertisementExperts recommend 7 to 9 hours of sleep for adults at night. People are working longer than ever, and sleeping less. This leaves them longing for a holiday where they can simply escape and rest. Hilton’s 2024 Trends report found that the number one reason people want to travel this year is to ‘rest and recharge’.WHAT IS SLEEP TOURISM?Dubbed ‘napcations’ and ‘dream tourism’, this emerging travel trend is known as sleep tourism. Simply put, sleep tourism is a form of travel focused on helping people achieve restful sleep, unwind, and rejuvenate. Its concept revolves around offering travellers the opportunity to enjoy quality sleep and escape the pressures and stresses of their everyday routines.

Sleep tourism is a form of travel focused on helping people achieve restful sleep, unwind, and rejuvenate. (Photo: Getty Images)
Dr. Rebecca Robbins, a sleep scientist, explains that less than three out of ten adults report experiencing restorative sleep, and studies suggest this lack of quality sleep can significantly affect both our physical and mental health.”As a society, we focus so often on exercise and nutrition, but we’re only now collectively waking up to the importance of sleep. This has resulted in a rise in sleep tourism, with the idea being that you might return from your travels feeling inspired and recharged.”RISING SLEEP TOURISM TRENDA report from HTF Market Intelligence reveals that sleep tourism has become a booming global market worth $640 billion, with projections indicating it will surpass $1 billion by 2028. Instead of opting for a jam-packed itinerary with little time to relax, exhausted travellers are heading off in search of a restful night’s sleep. Instagram is loaded with posts on sleep tourism, its benefits, and escape from hustle culture.

Furthermore, the Skyscanner Travel Trends 2025 report emphasizes the growing popularity of wellness tourism, noting that 70% of Indian travelers are seeking holistic experiences, and 57% prioritize health during their vacations – an alignment that strongly supports the objectives of sleep tourism.Hotels and travel companies are jumping on the trend and offering sleep-specific benefits like weighted blankets, pillow menus, relaxing treatments, and even classes with sleep experts.

BENEFITS OF SLEEP Chronic sleep deprivation is common in modern society. The quality of sleep directly impacts your mental and physical well-being. Having some shut-eye on vacation allows you to reconnect with yourself and explore your feelings and thoughts.

Chronic sleep deprivation is common in modern society. (Photo: Getty Images)
Our brain benefits deeply from sleep. A good night’s sleep helps improves memory, ideas, and concentration. Deficits in daytime performance due to sleep loss are experienced universally and are associated with significant social, financial, and human costs, according to the Indian Journal of Sleep Medicine report. advertisementSleep deprivation affects your ability to remember, concentrate, make good decisions, and reduces your reaction time. A sleep-deprived driver has the same poor response time as someone who is legally drunk.Other risk factors of not getting enough sleep include:
Heart disease
Cancerous tumors
Diseases related to the brain, such as stroke and brain aneurysms
Accidents
Diabetes
Sepsis
High blood pressure
HOW MUCH SLEEP IS GOOD SLEEP?According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, these are the recommended number of hours of sleep based on age:
advertisementNewborns: 14-17 hours a day
Babies: 12-16 hours a day (including naps)
Toddlers: 11-14 hours a day (including naps)
Preschoolers: 10-13 hours a day (including naps)
School-aged children: 9-12 hours each night
Teenagers: 8-10 hours each night
Adults: 7-9 hours of sleep at night
TIPS TO SLEEP BETTER
Avoid late-night snacking, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.
Turn off electronics, TVs, and computers two hours before bed. The blue light from these devices causes your brain to stay active. Turning them off a couple hours before bed gives your brain a chance to unwind and get ready for sleep.
Store all digital devices (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) in an area of the house other than the bedrooms.
Sleep in a dark room because light stimulates our brains.
Use an alarm clock rather than your smartphone or tablet as a wakeup device.
Keep room temperatures on the cooler side.
Aim for a consistent bedtime routine and sleep schedule to help your body stay on a regular track. Find a good time for you to go to sleep every night and wake up at the same time every morning. It’s also important to keep that same schedule even on the weekends.
Published By: Anupriya ThakurPublished On: Nov 22, 2024

Black Myth: Wukong Dev Game Science Teases ‘Surprises’ for Later This Year

Science and Health

The developer of Black Myth: Wukong has teased “some surprises” for later this year.Accepting the Game of the Year award via video message at the Golden Joysticks, Game Science co-founder Feng Ji encouraged people who have yet to buy the smash hit action game to now do so. He then added the tease:“Of course, you might have already completed our game. That’s perfectly fine too. Keep following us, and there might just be some surprises waiting for you later this year.”What are these mystery surprises? Currently speculation points to an announcement either around DLC or an Xbox release.Congratulations @BlackMythGame on winning our most prestigious Golden Joystick Award! 🏆You’ve voted Black Myth Wukong your Ultimate Game of the Year! #GoldenJoystickAwards pic.twitter.com/YUhAfAaz0Z— Golden Joysticks (@GoldenJoysticks) November 21, 2024Black Myth: Wukong launched on August 19 and sold an eye-watering 18 million copies in just two weeks across PC and PS5, reportedly making over $700 million in revenue in the process. That was enough to put Black Myth: Wukong up there with Grand Theft Auto 5 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as one of the fastest-selling games of all time, and is an astonishing return for a game that had a reported budget of $70 million over six years of development. It did so well that Sony pointed to Black Myth: Wukong as making a significant contribution to revenue during its last financial quarter., making up for the Concord disaster.DLC is set to follow. In September, Game Science investor Hero Games confirmed plans to release an Elden Ring-style expansion for Black Myth: Wukong ahead of any sequel. Perhaps we’ll get a first look next month.Or could an Xbox launch be set for the end of 2024? Microsoft has said Black Myth: Wukong’s delay on Xbox was due to an exclusivity deal with Sony and not a development issue with Microsoft’s consoles.”As we have said before, we’re excited for the launch of Black Myth Wukong on Xbox Series X and S and are working with Game Science to bring the game to our platforms,” Microsoft has told IGN.“We’d prefer not to comment on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders but we can confirm that the delay is not due to Xbox platform limitations that have been raised to us.”The Game Awards, set for December 12, could be the platform Game Science chooses to make its announcements. An Xbox shadow drop during the show would certainly get plenty of attention.IGN’s Black Myth: Wukong review returned an 8/10. We said: “Despite some frustrating technical issues, Black Myth: Wukong is a great action game with fantastic combat, exciting bosses, tantalizing secrets, and a beautiful world.”While you’re here, IGN has plenty more Black Myth: Wukong guides to help you out, including Essential Tips and Tricks, Things Black Myth: Wukong Doesn’t Tell You, and our Boss List and Guides.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].

Tourism Makes History at COP29 as 50 Countries Back Climate Action Declaration for Sector

Travel

For the first time in the history of the summit, COP29 featured a Tourism Day, with a First Ministerial Meeting dedicated to positioning tourism policy to support national climate goals. In Baku, public and private sector leaders recognized the significant impact of climate change on the tourism sector and its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At the same time, they emphasized tourism’s potential to actively foster climate adaptation and regeneration strategies. Over 700 stakeholders participated in the Tourism Day events.

Governments united around climate action in tourism
The First Ministerial was chaired by Mr Fuad Naghiyev, Chairman of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and included the COP29 President H.E. Mr Mukhtar Babayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UN Tourism, UNEP and UNFCCC.
Both UN Tourism Secretary–General, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, and UNEP Executive Director, Ms Inger Andersen, underlined the need for a science-based approach, referring to advanced new research to be further adapted from the University of Queensland (an Affiliate Member of UN Tourism) indicating that tourism represents 8.8% of global emissions (including direct and indirect emissions).
Addressing delegates, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: For the first time, the Action Agenda of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties has included tourism. The First Ministerial Meeting on Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism marks a turning point, when ambition meets action, and vision transforms into commitment. At COP29, the global tourism sector made clear its commitment to positive transformation for a better future for our planet.
The Ministerial welcomed ten Ministers of Tourism (United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Belarus, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Iran, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Montenegro, North Macedonia), two Ministers of Environment (Costa Rica and Maldives) and four Deputy Ministers (Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Uzbekistan). Secretaries of State from Moldova, Portugal, Zambia and Zimbabwe were also present. The Caribbean Tourism Organization and the Pacific Tourism Organization delivered statements on behalf of their members. The World Travel and Tourism Council and the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance also took the floor.
On the back of the high-level discussions, 52 governments signed the COP29 Declaration for Enhanced Climate Action in Tourism.
Measurement, Decarbonization, Adaptation, Regeneration, Finance, Innovation
The High-Level Roundtables brought together experts from academia, policymakers and private sector to raise the climate ambition of the tourism sector. The UN Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism was presented by UN Tourism Executive Director Zoritsa Urosevic as key tool for advancing the sector’s climate action ambitions. Climate Finance Innovation was also covered in a keynote presentation.
Carbon measurement was discussed at four levels: globally, to understand the scale of the challenge; at the country level, to inform tourism policies and align them with climate goals; at the business level, to ensure accountability for change; and at the product labelling level, empowering consumers to make informed, sustainable choices. While scaling up measurement efforts offers opportunities for evidence-based action, experts highlighted challenges such as the limits of technology-driven improvements, the need for innovative business models, and the critical role of behaviour change.
Discussions on adaptation and regeneration emphasized tourism’s potential to foster climate adaptation and regeneration strategies, underscoring the need for scalable financing mechanisms, innovative financial instruments, and collaborative approaches. Interventions and educational strategies that support sustainability transitions were showcased. All in all, several examples of innovation and collaboration illustrated how decarbonization can be linked to funding, adaptation strategies can be grounded in science, and climate action plans can serve as a foundation for change.
New signatories of the Glasgow Declaration Initiative
The Glasgow Declaration Initiative continues to advance with more than 370 action plans already developed by its 900 signatories. Key Takeaways from the Glasgow Declaration Implementation Report 2024 were released at COP29 including:

74% of signatories with climate plans are measuring
92% of plans include decarbonization actions
73% of plans include actions related to biodiversity protection
41% of plans include climate adaptation actions
29% of plans refer to climate justice
82% of signatories with plans report working in partnership with others
44% of plans refer finance actions with this pathway remaining a challenge

During COP29, the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan and Minor International signed the Glasgow Declaration and a further 58 new signatories were announced, including Destination Canada, the Department for Tourism in Samarkand Region (Uzbekistan), HOTREC (The European Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafés), among others.
Towards climate-resilient tourism development
With the aim of laying the foundations for a global coordination mechanism and partnership platform, UN Tourism and the State Tourism Agency of Azerbaijan signed the Letter of Intent to create a framework for its establishment. The partnership will ensure the continuation of the process to COP30 in Belem, Brazil in 2025, and building on COP28 – as well as to support the transformation of the tourism sector so it can be part of a low-carbon, sustainable and resilient future.
Related Links

About UN Tourism
The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.
Our Priorities
Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.
Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.
Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.
Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members’ competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.
Advancing tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.
Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.
Our Structure
Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.
Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.
Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism’s 500 plus Affiliate members.

UN Tourism Communications Department+34 91 567 8100UN Tourism