Connecting practice to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offers a framework guiding tourism in delivering more sustainable solutions for people, the planet, prosperity and peace. The below set out how VMAST, WHETS & WHAO potentially could contribute transformative change according to the SDGs framework. Realised potential and impact will be explored through the emerging Theory of Change.
Tourisms potential contribution to the SDGs (UNWTO)
VMAST
improving practice through stratragic objectives
WHETS
provisioning through mutual credit
(coming)
WHAO
peer-governance through Web-3 technology
(coming)
Sustainable tourism development, and its impact at community level, can be linked with national poverty reduction goals, those related to promoting entrepreneurship and small businesses, and empowering less favoured groups, particularly youth and women.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
D4: Local jobs, employment and career opportunities
Tourism can spur sustainable agriculture by promoting the production and supplies to hotels, and sales of local products to tourists. Agro-tourism can generate additional income while enhancing the value of the tourism experience.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
B10: Food security
Tax income generated from tourism can be reinvested in health care and services, improving maternal health, reduce child mortality and preventing diseases. Visitors fees collected in protected areas can as well contribute to health services.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
C3: Local community opinion on tourism
C4: Visitor experience and satisfaction
C5: Safety and security
B6: Light, noise and visual pollution
Tourism has the potential to promote inclusiveness. A skilful workforce is crucial for tourism to prosper. The tourism sector provides opportunities for direct and indirect jobs for youth, women, and those with special needs, who should benefit through educational means.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
All d: Capacity development
Tourism can empower women, particularly through the provision of direct jobs and income-generation from SMEs in tourism and hospitality related enterprises. Tourism can be a tool for women to become fully engaged and lead in every aspect of society.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
C7: Respect of rights
C9: Social inclusion
Tourism investment requirement for providing utilities can play a critical role in achieving water access and security, as well as hygiene and sanitation for all. The efficient use of water in tourism, pollution control and technology efficiency can be key to safeguarding our most precious resource.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
B3: Waste management
B4: Water security and access
As a sector, which is energy intensive, tourism can accelerate the shift towards increased renewable energy shares in the global energy mix. By promoting investments in clean energy sources, tourism can help to reduce green house gases, mitigate climate change and contribute to access of energy for all.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
B5: Energy conservation
B6: Light, noice and visual pollution
B8: Carbon footprint (greenhouse gas emissions)
B9: Climate change adaptation
Tourism, as services trade, is one of the top four export earners globally, currently providing one in ten jobs worldwide. Decent work opportunities in tourism, particularly for youth and women, and policies that favour better diversification through tourism value chains can enhance tourism positive socio-economic impacts.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
A3: Integrated and strategic visitor management (8.9)
D2: Visitors financial contribution (8.9)
D4: Local jobs, employment and career opportunities
D5: Production and consumption
Web3 can help build stable, resilient economies in places where financial systems, rule of law and infrastructure are lacking (UNDP)
Tourism development relies on good public and private infrastructure. The sector can influence public policy for infrastructure upgrade and retrofit, making them more sustainable, innovative and resource-efficient and moving towards low carbon growth, thus attracting tourists and other sources of foreign investment.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
B7: Low-impact travel and transport
D7: Property acquisitions
D8: Visitor facilities, infrastructure and services
Tourism can be a powerful tool for reducing inequalities if it engages local populations and all key stakeholders in its development. Tourism can contribute to urban renewal and rural development by giving people the opportunity to prosper in their place of origin. Tourism serves as an effective mean for economic integration and diversification.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
C2: Accessibility
C7: Respect of rights
C9: Social inclusion
D4: Local jobs, employment and career opportunities
Tourism can advance urban infrastructure and accessibility, promote regeneration and preserve cultural and natural heritage, assets on which tourism depends. Investment in green infrastructure (more efficient transport, reduced air pollution) should result in smarter and greener cities for, not only residents but also tourists.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
A1: Governance and management system (11.4)
A2: Available resources (11.4)
A4: Heritage assets and visitor attractions (11.4)
B7: Low impact transport
C1: Awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage (11.4)
C2: Accessibility
C5: Safety and security
C6: Disaster risk management, crises and emergency response
C8: Intangible cultural heritage
D1: Economic inclusion, resilience and sustainability (11.4)
D3: Funding, investments and concessions (11.4)
D7: Property acquisitions
D8: Visitor facilities, infrastructure and services (11.4)
D9: Visitor patterns and periods
The tourism sector needs to adopt sustainable consumption and production (SCP) modes, accelerating the shift towards sustainability. Tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for tourism including for energy, water, waste, biodiversity and job creation will result in enhanced economic, social and environmental outcomes.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
A6: Visitor behaviour (12b)
B3: Waste management
B4: Water security and access
B5: Energy conservation
D5: Production and consumption
D9: Visitor patterns and periods (12.b)
Tourism contributes to and is affected by climate change. Tourism stakeholders should play a leading role in the global response to climate change. By reducing its carbon footprint, in the transport and accommodation sector, tourism can benefit from low carbon growth and help tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
B1: Protection of sensitive environments
B2: Protection of wildlife
B8: Greenhouse gas emissions
B9: Climate change adaptation
B10: Environmental risks
Web-3 tech could support climate action through new climate financing and systems design (UNDP)
Coastal and maritime tourism rely on healthy marine ecosystems. Tourism development must be a part of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in order to help conserve and preserve fragile marine ecosystems and serve as a vehicle to promote a blue economy, contributing to the sustainable use of marine resources.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
B1: Protection of sensitive environments
B2: Protection of wildlife
B10: Environmental risks
Rich biodiversity and natural heritage are often the main reasons why tourists visit a destination. Tourism can play a major role if sustainably managed in fragile zones, not only in conserving and preserving biodiversity, but also in generating revenue as an alternative livelihood to local communities.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
B1: Protection of sensitive environments
B2: Protection of wildlife
B10: Environmental risks
As tourism revolves around billions of encounters between people of diverse cultural backgrounds, the sector can foster multicultural and inter-faith tolerance and understanding, laying the foundation for more peaceful societies. Tourism, which benefits and engages local communities, can also consolidate peace in post-conflict societies.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
A1: Governance and management system
A7: Communication, information and interpretation of heritage values
C7: Respect of rights
C9: Social inclusion
D1: Economic inclusion, resilience and sustainability
D10: Events and festivals
Peace, justice, and strong institutions through safe money and participatory governance (UNDP)
Due to its cross-sectoral nature, tourism has the ability to strengthen private/public partnerships and engage multiple stakeholders – international, national, regional and local – to work together to achieve the SDGs and other common goals. Public policy and innovative financing are at the core for achieving the 2030 Agenda.
VMAST applied in visitor management helps address
