El Salvador hosted UN Tourism’s official World Tourism Day celebrations on September 27, with artificial intelligence the theme for 2026, according to the UN agency.
Under the title “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”, UN Tourism is pushing AI as a tool for decision-making, skills and destination management. Travellers are already moving that way: one in three UK travellers use AI tools to plan holidays, and a Spanish tour operator has reported a 400% rise in AI-generated itinerary requests.
“Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how we travel, how we work and how we connect,” said UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nuwais. “But progress only counts if it reaches everyone.”
The main event took place at the Hilton San Salvador, with opening remarks from Tourism Minister Morena Valdez, Vice President Felix Ulloa by video and Al Nuwais. A panel on turning digital transformation into human impact brought in speakers from development bank CAF and El Salvador’s government, including Secretary of Innovation Daniel Mendez.
Delegates also toured San Salvador’s historic centre on September 26 in a visit organised by the country’s First Lady to present the capital as a family-friendly destination. El Salvador was the first country to receive UN Tourism’s Family Friendly Seal, Valdez said.
World Tourism Day has been held on September 27 each year since 1980, marking the anniversary of the adoption of UN Tourism’s statutes in 1970. The organisation became a specialised agency of the United Nations in 2003.