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)