UN Tourism Launches “Safe Destinations Challenge” to Boost Tourism Resilience in Europe and Beyond, Focusing on Safety and Sustainability

Published on June 29, 2025

UN Tourism has introduced Safe Destinations Challenge as a new initiative aimed at developing the tourism industry’s resilience, safety, and sustainability worldwide and specifically targeting Europe. The challenge aspires to rally innovative solutions improving tourism destinations’ preparedness for crises, response, and recovery for both tourists’ safety and local people’s safety.

In 2024, Europe welcomed 747 million international tourists, making up approximately 58% of global tourism figures, according to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). However, despite this thriving industry, Europe has faced significant challenges, including climate-related hazards, fires, floods, and geopolitical instability, all of which have taken a heavy toll on the region’s tourism infrastructure. Over the past five decades, Europe has encountered more than 1,700 hazards, resulting in over 160,000 lives lost and economic damages surpassing half a trillion US dollars. This highlights the urgent need for more effective crisis management in tourism, which the Safe Destinations Challenge seeks to address.

Focus Areas of the Safe Destinations Challenge

The Safe Destinations Challenge is a call for innovative solutions that can improve crisis preparedness and management across three key categories:

Resilience to Natural, Climate, and Health-Related Hazards in Tourism Destinations
The challenge invites proposals for projects that can help anticipate, mitigate, and respond to natural hazards like floods, wildfires, and health-related risks such as pandemics. These projects should aim to protect both local communities and tourists, ensuring that the destinations remain safe even in times of crisis.

Safety, Security, and Cyber Threats for Tourists and Destinations
As digital and physical threats to tourism destinations increase, solutions are needed to enhance both physical security and cybersecurity. This includes developing tools to protect tourist data, prevent cyberattacks, and ensure safety measures are robust and efficient for both locals and visitors.

Crisis Communication
Effective communication is essential during crises. The challenge calls for strategies that strengthen communication before, during, and after emergencies. Whether dealing with natural disasters, health crises, or political instability, clear and timely information is vital for maintaining public trust and ensuring that tourism destinations can recover quickly.

Why the Safe Destinations Challenge Matters

According to Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UN Tourism, tourism is more than just an industry—it is a vital network of human stories. “With 1 in 10 jobs worldwide linked to tourism, how we anticipate and respond to risks will define our collective future,” Bayona explains. “In 2020, the unpreparedness in tourism led to a loss of around USD 1.3 trillion in international tourism export revenues. This challenge is an invitation to build destinations that are stronger, safer, and more human—because resilience is no longer optional; it’s essential.”

The Safe Destinations Challenge aligns with the UN Tourism SAFE-D (Safety of Destinations) initiative, which aims to improve crisis preparedness, response, and recovery on a global scale. The SAFE-D initiative was launched in early 2025 in Czechia as a direct response to the increasing frequency of crises affecting tourism, including climate hazards, geopolitical tensions, pandemics, and cyberattacks.

Open Innovation Call: Who Can Participate?

The Safe Destinations Challenge is open to a wide range of participants, including startups, scaleups, innovative micro and SMEs, local authorities, academic institutions, and tourism organizations. By inviting collaboration across sectors, the challenge seeks to bring diverse expertise to the table to develop solutions that protect the physical, cultural, and economic integrity of tourism destinations.

Applicants are encouraged to submit ideas, tools, and projects that can make a real difference in ensuring destinations are better prepared for future crises, while maintaining their appeal to tourists. Whether it’s through developing new technology, designing better communication strategies, or creating resilience-focused programs, the goal is to create more sustainable and secure destinations for both visitors and residents.

Key Dates and Application Information

Applications for the Safe Destinations Challenge will remain open until October 31, 2025. Interested parties can submit their proposals through the official UN Tourism website, where more information about the challenge and the application process is available.

The Urgent Need for Strengthened Crisis Management in Europe

The growing frequency of crises affecting tourism destinations worldwide, particularly in Europe, highlights the need for more robust tourism crisis governance. From floods and fires to health-related hazards like the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism destinations have shown increasing vulnerability. This calls for proactive measures that can ensure the resilience of the tourism sector while mitigating the impact of these crises.

The Safe Destinations Challenge and the broader SAFE-D Europe Initiative are key parts of a global effort to ensure that tourism destinations are better prepared for future challenges. By equipping destinations with the tools to respond to emergencies, the tourism industry can continue to grow while safeguarding the welfare of communities and visitors alike.

Conclusion: Shaping the Future of Resilient Tourism

As tourism around the globe keeps transforming while operating amidst new challenges, it is critical that tourism destinations around the globe develop their capacity for building resilience and learn how to recover from crises efficiently. The Safe Destinations Challenge is also a very significant step toward this aim and outlines the contours for creative solutions that will keep tourism destinations safe, secure, and sustainable over the long term.

(Sources: UN Tourism Official Website, UN World Tourism Organization)