Where are

tourism’s

missing links?

WTO Public Forum 2017 27th September 2017

Mrs. Zoritsa Urosevic

Representative to the UN at Geneva

World Tourism Organizationzurosevic@unwto.org

UN Global Agenda 2030

Transitioning from the MDGs to the SDGs (Sept. 2015)

The United Nations 70th General Assembly designates 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for

Development (A/RES/70/193). (Dec. 2015)

The 2017 World Tourism Day theme is “Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development”

Can Tourism help to realize the SDGs?

• The World Tourism Day 2017 aims at raising awareness on the contribution of tourism to development.

• Opportunities, challenges and threats for tourism included in 64 National SDGs strategies related to the 2030 Agenda and 60 companies

• A roadmap to mobilize all stakeholders to work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change for People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace through Partnerships.

Two thirds of the activities of the United Nations system take

place in Geneva, making it a key centre of international co-operation

and multilateral negotiation. This is one of the reasons that the city is

often referred to as "International Geneva".

Around 9,500 staff work for the UN family in Geneva, which is the

largest concentration of UN personnel in the world.

Why Tourism Matters

Source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 2016

Two thirds of the activities of the United Nations system take

place in Geneva, making it a key centre of international co-operation

and multilateral negotiation. This is one of the reasons that the city is

often referred to as "International Geneva".

Around 9,500 staff work for the UN family in Geneva, which is the

largest concentration of UN personnel in the world.

Why Tourism Matters

Tourism towards 2030

Inbound tourism, advanced and emerging economies International Tourist Arrivals, million

emerging economies

advanced economies

source: World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) ©

0

250

500

750

1,000

1,250

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

1,037 mn

552 mn

540 mn772 mn

457 mn

523 mn

Tourism: a key sector for achieving the SDGs

Tourism can be a powerful vehicle to promote and reach the milestones of the ambitious

agenda, given that it is one of the major sectors in international trade and a main job

and wealth creator for many countries.

Tourism explicitly features as a target in Goals 8, 12 and 14 on inclusive and

sustainable economic growth, sustainable consumption and production (SCP), and the

sustainable use of oceans and marine resources, respectively.

Yet, given the sheer size and the crosscutting nature of the sector, it has the potential to

contribute - directly and indirectly - to all 17 SDGs.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Target 8.9 – by 2030, devise

and implement policies to

promote sustainable tourism

that create jobs and promote

local culture and products.

Target 12b – develop and

implement tools to monitor

sustainable development

impacts for sustainable that

create jobs, promotelocal

and cultural and prodcuts.

Target 14.7 – by 2030

increase the economic

debenfits to SIDS and LDCs

from the sustainable use of

marine ressources, including

sustainable managment of

fisheries, aquaculture and

tourism

Tourism and SDGs: Journey to 2030

a Roadmap for achieving SDGs

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP), PWC and HTW CHUR are jointly producing a report on “Tourism

and the Sustainable Development Goals: Journey to 2030”.

• roadmap for tourism stakeholders and development partners, to

achieve the universal development agenda and the SDGs through tourism.

• empower, influence and inspire governments, policymakers, and

tourism companies and the tourism sector at large to intensify their engagement in

the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, by integrating relevant aspects of the

17 SDGs in the policy and financing frameworks as well as building new business

models.

14

21

12

17

Asia Pacific

Europe

Africa

Latin America and

Caribbean

Regions VNRs

Africa 12

Asia Pacific 17

Europe 21

Latin America and Caribbean 14

Total 64

Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) 2016 - 2017

64 VNRS

People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, Partnerships

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

PEOPLE

PLANET

PROSPERITY

PEACE

PARTNERSHIPS

Number of tourism mentions

Tourism and the 2030 Agenda

Opportunities Challenges Threats

People – Planet - Prosperity

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Poverty Eradication

Employment Creation

Human Rights

Gender Equality

Education & Vocational Training

Youth Employment

Equality and Inclusiveness

Health & Well-being

Number of tourism mentions

PEOPLE

Opportunities Challenges Threats

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Food Security & Agriculture

Waste Management

Sustainable Consumption & Production

Climate Change

Energy Use & Efficiency

Number of tourism mentions

PLANET

Opportunities Challenges Threats

0 5 10 15 20 25

Economic Development

Green Economy

Tourism Product Diversification

Science & Research

Rural Development

Value Chain Development

Number of tourism mentions

PROSPERITY

Opportunities Challenges Threats

Opportunities, Challenges and Threats

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

No Poverty - SDG1

Zero Hunger - SDG 2

Good Health and Well-Being - SDG 3

Quality Education - SDG 4

Gender Equality - SDG 5

Clean Water and Sanitation - SDG 6

Affordable and Clean Energy - SDG 7

Decent Work and Economic Growth - SDG 8

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - SDG 9

Reduced Inequalities - SDG 10

Sustainable Cities and Communities - SDG 11

Responsible Consumption and Production - SDG 12

Climate Change- SDG 13

Life Below Water - SDG 14

Life On Land - SDG 15

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions - SDG 16

Partnerships for the Goals - SDG 17

Number of countries

Tourism and the SDGs: Opportunities, Challenges, Threats

Opportunities Challenges Threats

Challenges for tourism development in the LDCs

• Infrastructure and access

• Skilled and trained human resources

• Tourism policy/regulatory framework

• Investment

• Statistics and data

• Security issues/resilience

• Adverse Business climate

• Amenities

• Accommodation facilities

• Improve country’s image

85

71

60

54

52

52

48

42

42

42

62

31

31

0

15

31

38

15

54

15

44

39

22

6

39

39

28

28

39

11

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Lack of transportation infrastructure (roads, access, geographical isolation)

Lack of human resources (trained staff, skills)

Lack of tourism policy/regulatory framework/strategy

Lack of data on tourism

Security issues/corruption/political instability

Lack of investment

Lack of sector management/adverse business climate/bottlenecks in importantsectors

Lack of amenities (hospitals, hygiene, toilets)

Lack of accomodation facilities

Need of improvement of country's image

DTISs

NTAs

NIUs

Source: UNWTO-EIF-ITC 2016 desk research of the 48 EIF Countries with a DTIS, based on the joint UNWTO/EU Sustainable Tourism for Development Guidebook

(2013). Questionnaire responses from 18 NIUs and 13 NTAs

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

End Poverty - Goal 1

End hunger - Goal 2

Ensure healthy lives and well-being - Goal 3

Ensure quality education - Goal 4

Achieve gender equality - Goal 5

Ensure management of water and sanitation - Goal 6

Ensure access to energy - Goal 7

Promote economic growth and employment - Goal 8

Build infrastructure and foster innovation - Goal 9

Reduce inequality - Goal 10

Make cities and settlements inclusive - Goal 11

Sustainable consumption and production - Goal 12

Take action to combat climate change - Goal 13

Conserve oceans - Goal 14

Protect terrestrial ecosystems and forests - Goal 15

Promote peaceful ocieties and institutions - Goal 16

Revitalize global partnership - Goal 17

Number of CSR activities

Number of CSR activities per SDG goal in total and in each sector

Total Tour operators Transportation Hotels

Private Sector CSR and SDGsGlobal Goals – Local Focus

General Assembly Chengdu 2017 Chengdu Declaration

27. September UN World Tourism Day

TRAVEL, ENJOY, RESPECT

#TravelEnjoyRespect

World Tourism Day Competition

World Tourism Day Competition

Responsible travellers from around the world, who like

sharing your experiences with the world and are available to

go on the trip of a lifetime from 20 November until 20

December, are invited to submit onto the official website of

the campaign (www.travelenjoyrespect.org) an entry of 200

words in English with one or two photos, explaining why

they should be selected to represent responsible travellers

and visit and how they #TravelEnjoyRespect

Open to participants over 18

The deadline for submissions will be on October 18, 2017

COMPETITION

2017 International Year of Sustainable

Tourism for Development

Save the date

Closing Ceremony of the International

Year of Sustainable Tourism for

Development

19th of December 2017

Palais des Nations, Geneva