Countries around the world are integrating sustainability in their tourism policies but the evidence on the results of their implementation remains limited, research carried out for the first “Baseline Report on the Integration of Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns into Tourism Policies” has found.

The Baseline Report, prepared by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with United Nations Environment (UN Environment) and with support from the Government of France, is the first global assessment of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) factors within national tourism policies. A total of 101 UNWTO Member States participated in this groundbreaking exercise.

All the tourism policies analyzed refer to sustainability as part of their objectives or vision and 55% address sustainability as a cross cutting element. At the same time, 67% of tourism policies include references to resource efficiency and 64% connect sustainability with the competitiveness of the sector. Tourism policy makers are aware of the importance of SCP but the references to policy instruments aiming at SCP implementation are limited and so is the evidence available for other aspects beyond the economic performance of the sector.

Celebrating the release of the Baseline Report, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “Sustainability and competitiveness go hand in hand. Destinations and businesses can flourish while making a meaningful contribution to sustainability in several ways, including through the efficient use of resources, promoting biodiversity conservation and taking action to fight climate change”.

Advancing SCP practices in the tourism sector is essential if the sector is to contribute effectively to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda. With this in mind, UNWTO has also launched the Sustainable Tourism Policy Talks alongside the Baseline Report. The series of talks feature interviews with Ministers of Tourism on the implementation of national tourism policies.

One Planet Sustainable Tourism Program

The Sustainable Tourism Program aims at scaling up SCP practices that boost the efficient use of natural resources in tourism while producing less waste and addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity.

UNWTO is the lead of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Program with the Government of France as Co-Lead and in collaboration with UN Environment.

The program acts as an implementation mechanism for SDG12 and the Baseline Report and Sustainable Tourism Policy Talks directly contribute to the implementation of One Planet objectives.

A global survey conducted by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and IPSOS shows a positive picture of local residents’ perceptions towards urban tourism. Looking at 15 countries worldwide, the research also identified what residents consider to be the best ways of managing rising numbers of tourists, highlighting differing attitudes to urban tourism among different socio-demographic groups.

The survey aims at a better understanding of residents’ attitudes towards urban tourism. The research is also meant at identifying most valued management strategies to address the emerging challenges that come with increased tourism demand.

“In order to make sure that urban tourism continues to benefit local residents, it is fundamental to implement sustainable policies and practices. This includes the regular monitoring of residents’ attitudes towards tourism and factoring them in the tourism agenda,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.

Perceptions…countries and age

Tourism’s impacts are valued most positively in Australia, Argentina, Sweden, the Republic of Korea and Spain. Young respondents (under 34) exhibit a stronger awareness of both the positive and negative impacts of city tourism, in contrast to older respondents (over 50) who perceive the negative impacts less. Younger respondents are also more likely to be in favour of more restrictive measures to manage increased tourism demand. Among older respondents, only 5% think that tourism promotion should be stopped, and only 8% favor limiting the number of visitors in their cities as compared to 12% and 16% of younger respondents.

..travel frequency…

Respondents who frequently travel to international destinations (twice or more in the last year) are less likely to feel that they live in cities with a high number of tourists when compared to respondents who do not travel so regularly. Similarly the perception of a positive impact of tourism is significantly higher among respondents who travelled in the past year.

…infrastructure and experiences – most favoured measures across countries

With regards to potential measures to address growing tourism flows in cities, residents across the 15 countries consider ‘improving infrastructures and facilities’ as the most effective. In Hungary, 89% of respondents stressed this measure as the most adequate, followed by Italy (80%) and Argentina (79%).

In a similar way, ´creating experiences and attractions that benefit residents as well as visitors´ is the second most preferred management strategy, and extremely popular in all countries (82% in Canada and Hungary; 75% and 74% in Argentina and Republic of Korea, respectively).

Jamaica Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, met today with former United States President Bill Clinton at the ongoing 4th meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USVI.

The President showed great interest in supporting the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.The first-ever Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is hosted in Jamaica and was unveiled earlier this year at Montego Bay by the Hon. Minister Bartlett during the 2019 Caribbean Travel Marketplace. Just last week, four more centers were announced in Japan, Malta, Nepal, and Hong Kong.

Minister Bartlett will deliver a keynote address at the GCI event on Tuesday and is expected to point out that the Caribbean is the most disaster-prone region of the world. Most islands are situated within the Atlantic hurricane belt where storm cells are produced, and the region sits along three active seismic fault lines, but it is also the most tourism-dependent region in the world.

President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are currently at the fourth meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The meeting, in partnership with Bloomberg LP and Love City Strong, will continue the discussion around hurricane recovery in the greater Caribbean region, and address topics such as infrastructure, agriculture, workforce development, clean and renewable energy, health, and Caribbean arts and culture.

The approach of the Action Network brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to focus efforts on putting people first, including prioritizing a resilient future by helping communities to plan and prepare for future storms and the mounting effects of climate change.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, founded by Minister Bartlett, seem to be a perfect compliment to the activities spearheaded by the former U.S. President.