UNECTO is aimed at all operating tourist railways and rail museums or whose project is sufficiently advanced.
These tourist railways are:
- Associations, undertakings, public authorities
- Steam locomotives, diesel, electric motive power, autorails or track motorcars
- Established on private tracks, tracks belonging to local authorities, tracks belonging to the French Rail Network (RFF), and also special trains on the national rail network.
UNECTO is equally aimed at all partner undertakings which work in the rail industry (track and equipment maintenance), heritage (restoration) and in tourism (tour operator, derived services…)
Finally, UNECTO is aimed at local, regional and national authorities who wish to support the development of tourist and heritage trains.
Membership is decided upon based on an application file and motivation, which is then validated by the Board of Directors.
Annual membership fees are calculated based on turnover, for the rail networks.