Sustainable Tourism: UNWTO Announces Roadmap Towards 2030

Participants from around the world on Tuesday joined the official closing ceremony of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 at the Palace of Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The event reviewed the year’s main achievements and discussed the roadmap for advancing the contribution of tourism towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“2017, the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, has been a unique opportunity for all of us to come together to promote the contribution of tourism to shape a better future for people and planet and to contribute to making this world a better place,” said UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai, opening of the event.

“We count on you as we embark on this exciting new journey towards 2030. I trust that together, as a sector, as people with the same vision and commitment, we will go far,” Rifai added.

As part of the legacy of the IY2017, UNWTO presented the results of the ‘Tourism and SDGs’ Report developed in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The report, which looks into the links between tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in national policies as well as private sector strategies, shows the relevance for the sector of Goals 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

On the occasion, UNWTO launched the Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals Program as a legacy of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017.

The Program aims at advocating for the contribution of sustainable tourism’s to the 17 SDGs and encouraging the full integration of tourism and the SDGs in national, regional and global agendas. It includes the future ‘Tourism and SDGs’ online platform – a co-creation space to inspire and empower the tourism sector to act – developed by UNWTO with the support of SECO and an Ambassadors Initiative.