UN Tourism has launched the Safe Destinations Challenge to identify innovative solutions that position the sector as a driver of resilience, safety, and sustainability. The initiative focuses initially on Europe, which welcomed 747 million international tourists in 2024, representing around 58 percent of the global figures.
The Safe Destinations Challenge aims to protect both tourism destinations and the people who inhabit and visit them. Over the past 50 years, Europe has faced more than 1,700 climate, fire, weather, and water-related disasters resulting in over 160,000 lives lost and economic damages exceeding half a trillion US dollars. In this context, strengthening preparedness and crisis response capacity has never been more urgent.
This Open Innovation Call for Tourism Crisis Preparedness, Response and Recovery for the European Region is being launched within the framework of the Safety of Destinations (SAFE-D) initiative for Tourism Crisis Preparedness, Response and Recovery in the European Region of UN Tourism.
What is the challenge looking for?
This call focuses on ideas, tools, and projects that can improve crisis preparedness and management across three key categories:
Category 1: Natural Disasters, Climate, and Health-Related Hazards for Tourism Destinations Projects that help anticipate, mitigate, and respond to these risks, protecting both local communities and visitors.
Category 2: Safety, Security, and Cyber Threats for Tourists and Destinations
Solutions that enhance physical and digital safety in tourism destinations.
Category 3: Crisis Communication Effective strategies that strengthen communication before, during, and after emergencies.
The call is open to startups, scaleups, innovative micro and SMEs, local authorities, academic institutions, and tourism organisations working on solutions to preserve the physical, cultural, and economic integrity of destinations.
Applications will close 31 October 2025.
Natalia Bayona, Executive Director of UN Tourism, says: “Tourism is more than an industry—it’s a network of human stories. With 1 in 10 jobs worldwide linked to this sector, the way we anticipate and respond to risks will define our collective future. In 2020, we saw the cost of unpreparedness leading to a loss of around $1.3 trillion in international tourism export revenues in that the same year. This challenge is an invitation to build destinations that are stronger, safer, and more human—because resilience is no longer optional, it’s essential.”
