Saudi Arabia is all set to host the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly under the theme ‘AI-Powered Tourism: Redefining the Future’. Represented by Saudi Arabia’s tourism ministry, the occasion is scheduled from November 7-11, 2025, in Riyadh, which also marks the 50th anniversary of UN Tourism.
This will be the first time that a GCC nation will host the UN Agency’s General Assembly, further cementing Saudi Arabia’s position as a global tourism convener.
UN Tourism General Assembly in Saudi Arabia: Key takeaways
This November, UN Tourism’s 26th General Assembly lands in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦
A global gathering to drive cooperation, unlock investment, and spark innovation —celebrating 50 years while setting the agenda for the future of tourism.
🔗 https://t.co/qM2QcdHLsc pic.twitter.com/P2C1JlDqgY
— UN Tourism (@UNWTO) October 7, 2025
International industry leaders and delegates from over 160 member states will gather to celebrate the anniversary and also confer about the future of technology-driven and sustainable tourism.
What does the UN General Assembly do?
It’s the principal gathering of the World Tourism Organization, which meets every two years to debate relevant/trending topics about the tourism sector, and approve the budget and programme of work.Agenda for the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly
- Committees on Statistics, Tourism and Competitiveness, Tourism and Sustainability, Affiliate Membership meetings, and Programme and Budget
- Four General Assembly plenaries
- A thematic session on “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Innovation in Shaping Global Tourism”
- Election of the next UN Tourism Secretary-General
- 124th and 125th sessions of the Executive Council
More about the thematic session in Riyadh
The thematic session will include a UN Tourism Global AI Challenge, interactive demonstrations of the up-and-coming AI technologies along with live data visualisations, and an AI-enhanced networking event.After the General Assembly, Saudi Arabia will inaugurate the first TOURISE Summit (November 11-13, 2025), a new global platform aimed at bringing together public and private sector leaders from various industries such as tourism, technology, investment, sustainability, and culture.
For more information, head to UN Tourism’s official website.
(Feature image credit: Abdulrhman Alkhnaifer/Unsplash)
This article first appeared here
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
