Universidad del Salvador (USAL), Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos (UADER), both from Argentina, and Universidade Federal de Santa María (UFSM) Brazil, are part of a research network on issues related to tourism, environment and sustainable development. In this framework, they carried out the project: “Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals: The role of Latin American universities”. The purpose of this research has been to analyse the contribution of the universities in the production, development of knowledge and training at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in the field of tourism in relation to the 2030 Agenda and its Goals. The project was directed by Claudia Toselli (USAL, Argentina), co-directed by Luciana Davi Traverso (UFSM, Brasil), with the participation of the following researchers: Andrea Takáts (UADER), Adriana Ten Hoeve (USAL), Tiago Zardin Patias (UFSM), Caroline Ciliane Ceretta (UFSM), Irene Aguer (UADER), Marcelo Ribeiro (UFSM), María Martha Lucano (USAL) and Almyr Godoy (UFSM). The preliminary final results of the project were presented at the Satellite Event "Turismo e Objetivos de Desenvolvemento " in the framework of the 37th Integrated Academic Conference - UFSM, on November 9, 2022. The event was delivered in Spanish and Portuguese, and was held in hybrid mode. Based on the results obtained from the application of a survey applied to university tourism degree courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level in Argentina and Brazil, it was found that, although the topic of sustainability is included in every tourism courses, there is still no evidence of a concrete application of the 2030 Agenda, implemented by the SDGs, its 17 goals and 169 targets.

La OIT considera el turismo como un importante motor para un desarrollo socioeconómico inclusivo y para la reducción de la pobreza. Dada su capacidad de generar empleo directo y su efecto multiplicador en otros sectores como la agricultura, la manufactura, la construcción y el transporte, el turismo puede contribuir a la diversificación económica y al desarrollo local especialmente en las zonas rurales. Todas las previsiones señalan que el turismo de proximidad se recuperará antes que los viajes internacionales. Por ello, la reactivación del turismo en las áreas rurales es especialmente estratégica: genera beneficios para este tipo de comunidades en el corto plazo mientras se recuperan los efectos del COVID-19, y permite a largo plazo, la construcción de un modelo de turismo más sostenible e inclusivo, en la línea de la Agenda 2030 y los ODS. El curso está dirigido a responsables políticos, técnicos superiores y actores socioeconómicos claves del desarrollo del turismo que desarrollen sus actividades en instituciones públicas y privadas, en organizaciones de la sociedad civil o de la cooperación internacional relacionadas con el tema del curso. Los temas a tratar serán, en líneas generales: -El turismo como motor de desarrollo local sostenible -La construcción de la oferta turística del territorio -El marketing y la gestión de los destinos turísticos en áreas rurales -Desarrollo de cadenas de valor para el crecimiento inclusivo del sector turístico Por último, el diseño de un proyecto de desarrollo local basado en el turismo y aplicable en el propio territorio, es el producto final del curso más valorado por los participantes. Para más información y contacto: turismosostenible@itcilo.org

Tourism is a sector that can contribute, directly or indirectly, to the achievement of all SDGs, and in this context, the WTO (2016) has developed a guide recommending a course of action, which indicates the “creation and dissemination of knowledge” and "institutional training and education”. Particularly universities, among other institutions, are encouraged to disseminate how sustainable tourism contributes to the development of countries, the tools that can be applied to measure the impacts of tourism, and the educational policies that can be promoted. It is important to point out, in order to meet the SDGs, that progress has been made, but in general, the actions aimed at achieving such goals are not yet developing as quickly as necessary. In addition, it cannot be ignored that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a strong impact and will require a review of compliance strategies. This is how the UN has appealed to enter the so-called “decade of action” (UN, 2020). Within this framework, this exploratory research will be developed to analyse the contribution of universities concerning tourism and the application of the SDGs, with a focus on Argentina and Brazil during the 2015-2020 period. To achieve this goal, surveys will be carried out in the academic field together with a compilation and analysis of documents produced and formally disseminated from the selected universities. The research project will be carried out within the framework of the consolidated universities network USAL-UADER-UFSM network (Argentina and Brazil), it will have a four-stage structure, it will make use of new technologies for the meeting of the research group and the application of surveys. Finally, the results (expected to 2023) will be will be shared with other universities through an international meeting to be held in virtual mode. The Research Team: Claudia Toselli (USAL, Argentina. General Co-ordination of the project) Luciana Davi Traverso (UFSM, Brazil. Academic Co-ordination of the project for Brazil) Andrea Takáts (UADER, Argentina – Principal Researcher) Adriana Ten Hoeve (USAL, Argentina – Principal Researcher) Caroline Ciliane Ceretta (UFSM, Brazil– Principal Researcher) Marcelo Ribeiro (UFSM, Brazil– Assistant Researcher) María Martha Lucano (USAL, Argentina - Assistant Researcher) Irene Aguer (UADER, Argentina – Assistant Researcher) Tiago Zardin Patias (UFSM, Brazil– Assistant Researcher)