The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCIR) has been officially accepted as an affiliate member of the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), becoming the first non-governmental entity from Romania to attain this status.

According to a CCIR statement sent to AGERPRES on Monday, this decision was made during the 123rd session of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization, which took place in Segovia, Spain, on May 30, 2025.

'CCIR's accession to UN Tourism represents recognition of the strategic role CCIR plays in the development of the Romanian economy, including in the tourism industry. Additionally, the National Chamber's new status marks a step forward in CCIR's strategy concerning Romania's economic diplomacy, a topic unfortunately ignored by political decision-makers in recent times, but which we continue to consider highly important, especially given the difficult economic situation we are currently facing. Romania needs at least 15% of its GDP to come from the tourism industry, an ambitious target that would position our country among Europe's major tourist destinations. We urgently need an international promotional spot for Romania, similar to what is currently aired abroad for countries like Turkey or Bulgaria. In this context, CCIR's status as an affiliate member of UN Tourism becomes extremely important, as the National Chamber can now develop concrete projects with business representatives to promote Romanian tourism on the international stage,' said CCIR president Mihai Daraban.

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the United Nations agency in charge of promoting tourism globally, includes 160 member states and 517 affiliate members from the private sector. Romania has been a founding member since 1975.

'CCIR's accession to UN Tourism comes at a critical time for the global tourism industry. After the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, the industry is undergoing a phase of reconstruction and fundamental transformation. Romania, through CCIR, brings a valuable perspective and unique experience in developing essential joint projects for responsible and sustainable tourism. I am confident that CCIR, with its over 160 years of experience and deep understanding of the Romanian business environment, will bring added value to our network in a very short time,' said UN Tourism Director Ion Vilcu. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Tilica; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)