The United Nations (UN) High-Level Forum will convene this week at the UN headquarters to emphasise the sector’s unique position to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This forum holds great significance for India’s Ministry of Tourism, as it emphasises the country’s active participation and commitment to sustainable tourism and will also focus on the recently developed Goa Roadmap for Tourism.
Collaborating with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia, and with support from the Ministry of Tourism, India, as the Chair of the G20 Tourism Working Group, the event will gather leaders from the public and private sectors.
The high-level roundtable, taking place on July 14 as an official side event of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, will center around the theme of “Economic, Social, and Environmental Sustainability in Tourism.”
This event aims to further advance UNWTO’s efforts in positioning tourism as a key pillar of sustainable development. India, under its G20 Presidency, will present the comprehensive Goa Roadmap for Tourism as a significant tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Goa Roadmap for Tourism as a Vehicle for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals was developed by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), as a knowledge partner of India’s G20 Presidency, in coordination with the G20 Tourism Working Group.
It serves as a voluntary tool to leverage the tourism sector’s potential in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was welcomed at the G20 Tourism Ministers’ Meeting held in Goa, India in June this year.
The roadmap focuses on five interconnected priority areas: green tourism, digitalization, skills development, support for tourism micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and destination management. As per the document unveiled by the Indian Tourism Ministry, it provides recommendations, case studies, and key enablers to guide governments and stakeholders in aligning tourism with their national SDGs agendas, fostering a safer, healthier, more sustainable, and equitable future.
Buoyed by the success of hosting nine G20 meetings, Goa now aims to showcase its ‘beyond just beach’ offerings, with a focus on infrastructure investments and exploring partnerships in new markets. In an exclusive interview with ETTravelWorld, Minister for Tourism, Govt of Goa, Rohan Khaunte shared that the state government is keen on boosting ties with other countries for enhanced air connectivity and keeping ‘quality over quantity’ in tourism.
Besides the Goa Roadmap taking centre stage, the roundtable discussion will focus on the objectives including enhancing the understanding of the SDGs from a tourism perspective and inspiring action among government and private sector stakeholders. Moderated by UNWTO’s Zoritsa Urosevic, a high-level roundtable will be held which will include the participation of Ministers of Tourism from India, Croatia, Jamaica, and Spain.
The discussion will also raise awareness about the forthcoming Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST), aiming to establish harmonised data on the economic, social, and environmental performance of tourism.
The benefits of private sector involvement in the development of harmonised Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework for Tourism Businesses will also be highlighted.
The event will also see the key points from the “Achieving the SDGs through tourism: Toolkit of Indicators for Projects (TIPS)” being shared and developed in collaboration with JICA, offering practical guidance to align tourism projects with the SDGs.
Overall, the forum will aim at fostering collaboration among the public, private, and academic sectors both in India and rest of the world, with a focus on achieving sustainability in tourism through economic, social, and environmental aspects, as well as effective governance.
