Monday, October 7, 2024 The New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) has launched a campaign with global implications, calling for the approval of a hot air balloon emoji by the Unicode Consortium, the organization responsible for approving emojis used on digital platforms worldwide. The initiative began on October 5, 2024, coinciding with the opening day of the 2024 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the largest annual hot air ballooning event in the world. Despite the availability of nearly 3,800 emojis, a hot air balloon emoji remains conspicuously absent, a fact that NMTD is seeking to rectify with its petition.
The petition is aimed at raising awareness of the lack of representation for hot air ballooning, a global activity enjoyed by millions. NMTD is leveraging New Mexico’s status as the “Ballooning Capital of the World” to spearhead this campaign, calling on residents, balloon enthusiasts, and tourists to support the cause by signing the petition, which is available on the NMTD website and at Balloon Fiesta Park during the event. The overarching goal is to encourage the Unicode Consortium to approve the hot air balloon emoji design that has been pending review since January 2020.
Emojis have become a universal language in the digital age, transcending borders and cultures to communicate complex emotions, experiences, and ideas in a simple, visual format. As the world becomes more interconnected, particularly in the travel and tourism sector, emojis play an in.
