Message for the 47th World Tourism Day
The Dicastery for Evangelization, Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World, has published the Message for the 47th World Tourism Day, to be celebrated on 27 September 2026, entitled “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence for Reshaping Tourism.”
The document offers a broad and in-depth reflection on the growing role of artificial intelligence and digital transformation in the tourism sector, inviting the ecclesial community and tourism professionals alike to reflect on the relationship between technological innovation, human dignity, and the common good.
The Message highlights that artificial intelligence cannot be regarded merely as a technical tool, but rather as a cultural factor capable of profoundly influencing the ways people relate to one another and even the very understanding of the travel experience. In this perspective, the Dicastery strongly emphasizes the need for technological development to remain consistently oriented toward the service of the human person, avoiding any reduction of the individual to data, consumption, or a product.
Alongside these considerations, the text also acknowledges the significant opportunities offered by new technologies: from improving accessibility for persons with disabilities and enhancing local communities, to contributing to environmental sustainability and the more responsible management of tourism flows. At the same time, it underscores several important risks, including digital exclusion, the loss of the relational dimension of the tourism experience, and potential abuses linked to surveillance and the unregulated use of data.
The Message further encourages a rediscovery of the authentic meaning of tourism as an experience of encounter, human growth, and openness to transcendence, recalling that no technology can replace the richness of personal encounters or the sense of wonder that arises from direct experience of the world and of others.
Finally, the Dicastery for Evangelization expresses the hope for a shared responsibility among institutions, tourism operators, and travelers, so that tourism may continue to be a space of fraternity, inclusion, and integral human development, even in the age of artificial intelligence.