UNESCO and TUI Launch New Sustainable Tourism Program: Morocco and Zanzibar First

UNESCO and the TUI Care Foundation have agreed on a new global partnership to develop sustainable tourism around World Heritage sites. The first projects will launch in Morocco and Zanzibar, where tourist flows are intended not only to bring guests to famous landmarks, but also to provide more benefits to local communities, artisans, guides, and small businesses.

This news is important not only for these two destinations. It shows how large international organizations and the tourism business are trying to change the very logic of travel to popular cultural sites. The idea is that a tourist should not simply arrive to see a landmark, take a photo, and move on, but spend more time in the region, better understand the local history, use the services of local providers, and leave more income in the community that supports the living heritage every day.

According to UNESCO, the partnership was signed on May 27, 2026. TUI Group separately presented it on May 28 as a long-term initiative of the TUI Care Foundation in the field of cultural heritage and responsible tourism. At the center of the program are UNESCO World Heritage sites, where growing popularity can simultaneously create economic opportunities and increase pressure on the historical environment, traditions, and the daily lives of local residents.

What Exactly UNESCO and TUI Care Foundation are Launching

The partnership combines two levels of work. The first consists of specific projects in individual destinations, where new cultural routes, training for guides and entrepreneurs, digital heritage interpretation tools, and formats that help tourists interact more deeply with the location will be developed. The second is an international exchange of knowledge, events, and communication initiatives designed to spread responsible practices to other UNESCO destinations.

UNESCO emphasizes that tourism can create jobs and strengthen the bond between people and territories, but growing visitation often brings risks: excessive load on historical quarters, commercialization of traditions, displacement of local services, and uneven distribution of income. Therefore, the new program emphasizes ensuring that the benefits of travel remain closer to those who preserve the cultural heritage.

For the tourism industry, this is also a signal: sustainable tourism is increasingly less perceived as an additional image option. It is becoming a practical condition for the long-term competitiveness of destinations, especially where landmarks already have world recognition and demand can grow rapidly after the appearance of new routes, hotels, or marketing campaigns.

Morocco: Longer Travels Around Ait-Ben-Haddou

The first destination of the program is Ksar Ait-Ben-Haddou in Morocco. This is a fortified settlement on a traditional caravan route, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. For many travelers, it is one of the most recognizable cultural locations in the south of the country, but it is often visited as a short stop during a route between Marrakech, Ouarzazate, and the desert regions.

The new initiative aims to change this approach. Plans include encouraging longer stays, creating new cultural experiences, and supporting local artisans, guides, and tourism entrepreneurs. Special attention will be paid to women and youth, who often have less access to income from the tourism sector, although they may be the carriers of crafts, oral history, gastronomic traditions, and modern creative practices.

For travelers, this means that a trip to Ait-Ben-Haddou can become less transit-oriented and more meaningful. Instead of a standard short excursion, the destination may offer routes with local accompaniment, masterclasses, better explanations of the architecture and history of the ksar, and more reasons to stay in the region for a night or two days. Such a format is beneficial to both the tourist and the community: the former receives a deeper experience, the latter a wider economic effect.

Those planning a trip to Morocco should consider the logistics. The most popular air gateways for routes to the south of the country remain Marrakech Menara Airport and Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca. Before flying, it is convenient to check the Marrakech airport online board or the Casablanca airport online board, and for independent routes to the southern regions, car rental at Marrakech airport may be useful.

Zanzibar: Cultural Tourism in Stone Town

The second starting destination is Stone Town of Zanzibar, the historical center of Zanzibar, which UNESCO recognizes as a World Heritage site due to its multilayered cultural history and role as a crossroads of African, Arabic, Indian, and European influences. For tourists, Zanzibar is often associated primarily with beaches, but Stone Town is the key to understanding the island as a living cultural space, rather than just a resort location.

As part of the partnership, UNESCO and the TUI Care Foundation plan to support the development of cultural tourism, creative entrepreneurship, and heritage-related skills. Mentioned directions include Forodhani Culture Nights, Zanzibar Your Creative Markets, and Youth Heritage Ambassadors. These are formats designed to help local residents participate more actively in the tourism economy, represent their own culture, and obtain more stable income opportunities from this.

For tourists, this may mean a wider choice of authentic cultural events, markets, walks with trained local guides, and projects that show the city not as a frozen decoration, but as a space where heritage continues to live. Such an approach is especially important for popular island destinations, where part of the tourism income may be concentrated in beach hotels, while historical urban communities remain outside the main tourism value chain.

Travelers flying to the island will find information about Zanzibar International Airport, the ZNZ online board, hotels near Zanzibar airport, and transfers and taxis from the airport useful. If the program truly strengthens the cultural component of the holiday, some guests may more frequently combine a beach route with an overnight stay or a full day in Stone Town.

Why This News is Important for the Tourism Market

Recent years have shown that tourism to famous cultural sites requires finer management. On one hand, travelers are increasingly seeking meaningful trips, local stories, gastronomy, crafts, and experiences that cannot be fully replaced by a standard hotel holiday. On the other hand, too rapid growth in flows can create problems for the same locations that make the destination attractive.

The partnership between UNESCO and the TUI Care Foundation is interesting because it goes beyond a regular promotional campaign. Its logic is closer to the destination management model: not just to bring more tourists, but to change how the tourism product is formed, who participates in it, and how the benefit is distributed. If the projects in Morocco and Zanzibar show results, similar approaches may be used by other World Heritage List destinations.

For tour operators and agents, this opens the possibility to create routes with higher added value: not just a flight, transfer, and hotel, but also programs with local guides, craft workshops, cultural evenings, themed walks, and responsible shopping. For hotels and transport companies, this means greater demand for combined routes where the tourist stays in the region longer and uses more local services.

What This Means for Travelers

For the average tourist, the main conclusion is simple: cultural destinations are becoming more interesting, but at the same time require more careful planning. If a route includes UNESCO sites, it is worth checking not only the opening hours and ticket prices, but also local rules of conduct, the availability of certified guides, the seasonality of events, transport between the airport and the region, as well as the possibility of staying longer instead of a short excursion.

In Morocco, this may mean planning a route with an overnight stay near Ait-Ben-Haddou or in neighboring towns, rather than just a quick stop on the way. In Zanzibar, it means including Stone Town in the itinerary as an independent part of the journey, rather than just a short trip from a beach hotel. Such decisions help distribute tourism income more widely and make the trip deeper.

At the same time, travelers should remember that the program is just starting. UNESCO and the TUI Care Foundation have outlined the directions of work, but specific products, event calendars, routes, and training initiatives will be rolled out gradually. Therefore, before booking, it is worth checking current information with tour operators, local tourism organizations, and official destination resources.

Conclusion

The new partnership between UNESCO and the TUI Care Foundation is a noticeable step toward tourism that is not limited to increasing the number of visitors. Its goal is to make travel to World Heritage sites more beneficial for local communities and safer for the heritage itself. The first projects in Morocco and Zanzibar have practical meaning for tourists already now: they suggest that the most valuable journeys to cultural sites should be planned more slowly, more carefully, and with greater respect for the people who make these places alive.

If the initiative is successful, it may become a benchmark for other popular destinations, where tourism balances between economic benefit and preservation of cultural identity. For the market, it is a chance to sell not just a destination, but a high-quality, responsible experience. For the traveler, it is an opportunity to see more, understand deeper, and leave behind not only spent money, but a real contribution to the life of the local community.