Destinations International Celebrates "World Tourism Lexicon Day"; Launches 2025 Tourism Lexicons

Updated lexicons reinforce destination promotion as a common good and advance destination advocacy through a resonant, shared vocabulary

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Destinations International (DI), the world's leading association for destination organizations, today proudly marks World Tourism Lexicon Day with the release of 2025 Tourism Lexicons. This recognition reaffirms the industry's shared belief that destination promotion is a common good that strengthens communities, economies and the collective well-being of residents and visitors.

The 2025 editions include updated Tourism Lexicons for the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada (English and French language versions), along with the 2025 Welcoming Lexicon and the 2025 Social Impact Lexicons for the United States, Canada (English and French language versions). Each has been carefully developed to reflect regional perspectives, evolving public sentiment and the vocabulary that resonates most with policymakers, community leaders and residents.

"These lexicons are more than words – they are a reflection of our values as an industry and a commitment to speak with unity and purpose," said Don Welsh, president & CEO of Destinations International. "World Lexicon Day is a celebration of the power of language to strengthen advocacy, build trust and remind our communities that when destinations thrive, communities thrive."

Developed through rigorous research and collaboration across regions with support from the DI Foundation, these lexicons serve as tools to inspire a more unified and informed narrative, helping destination leaders speak with clarity, empathy and purpose about tourism's essential role as a driver of community vitality and shared prosperity.

"The words we choose matter," said Andreas Weissenborn, vice president of Research & Advocacy at Destinations International. "We have developed these lexicons to help destination organizations align their storytelling with the evolving expectations of residents, policymakers and visitors. By speaking a shared language, we can more effectively demonstrate that destination promotion is not just about attracting visitors but enhancing the quality of life for everyone who calls a destination home."

In celebration of World Tourism Lexicon Day, DI will host a special "2025 World Tourism Lexicon Day" webinar from 11 a.m. - noon EST today (November 13, 2025). The event is free and open to the public. Anyone interested can register online to attend as well as have access to the recording after the event.

The 2025 Tourism Lexicons and accompanying resources are available on the DI website.

About Destinations International
Destinations International is the world's largest and most trusted resource for destination organizations, convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and tourism boards. With more than 10,000 members and partners from over 750 destinations, the association represents a powerful forward-thinking and collaborative community around the world. For more information, visit www.destinationsinternational.org. 

About Destinations International Foundation
The Destinations International Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering destinations globally to excel through innovation and resource incubation. The foundation innovates new ideas and ways of doing things and incubates new tools and resources to improve the efforts of DI members. It launches and manages future-facing programs and initiatives, develops next-generation professional development and tools, and fosters short- and long-term cooperative relationships around the globe on behalf of the association.

SOURCE Destinations International