Tourism is one of the driving forces of global economic growth and is considered an effective sector to achieving decent work and economic growth in developing countries, especially so for the LDCs, LLDCs â a recognition reflected explicitly in Target 8.9 âBy 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.â By incorporating sustainable practices, promoting community involvement, and emphasizing the preservation of local culture and traditions, tourism can play a crucial role in achieving SDG 8 and creating a more inclusive and sustainable future.
There are nine targets within SDG 17 that are deemed to have a stronger and direct link for tourism to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. These targets have been selected to base the potential project indicators.Â
TARGET 17.3
MOBILIZE ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES
Touristsâ demand for goods and services such as accommodation, food, transportation services and entertainment can place pressure on countriesâ level of production, especially for developing countries. As a result, mobilization of financial resources in these countries is needed to meet domestic constraints. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), etc. Likewise, aid for trade and remittances can contribute to sustain institutions, businesses and citizensâ financial needs.Â
Foreign investment is viewed as an important avenue through which countries can gain access to capital and help in the development of infrastructure, such as international airports, highways, hotels and modern technologies. In the international cooperation context, support to multifaceted tourism projects through the allocation of aid for trade could turn out to have significant benefits for beneficiary countries, notably in terms of employment creation and poverty reduction.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Investment / Foreign direct investment (FDI)
Partnerships / Official Development Assistance (ODA)
Financing / Remittances
TARGET 17.5
ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT INVESTMENT PROMOTION REGIMES FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
Investment promotion regimes can be defined as those instruments that directly aim at encouraging outward or inward foreign investment through particular measures of the home or host countries of investors. Investment promotion regimes for LDCs are those instruments that home countries of investors have put in place to encourage outward investment in LDCs directly or through measures intended for developing countries. This requires that the recipient countries have the right framework conditions enabling public and private sectors collaboration, improving business environment, developing clear policies and regulations for investment, etc., so as to attract and foster sustainable investment for the tourism sector, which in turn would create jobs and boost economic growth in least developed countries.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Investment / Foreign direct investment (FDI)
Investment / Financial investmentÂ
TARGET 17.6
ENHANCE NORTH-SOUTH, SOUTH-SOUTH AND TRIANGULAR REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON AND ACCESS TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION AND ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE-SHARING ON MUTUALLY AGREED TERMS, INCLUDING THROUGH IMPROVED COORDINATION AMONG EXISTING MECHANISMS, IN PARTICULAR AT THE UNITED NATIONS LEVEL, AND THROUGH A GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY FACILITATION MECHANISM
Target 17.6 revolves around cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation. Tourism can contribute to this target by being a catalyst for increased access to connectivity and technology infrastructure in a destination. Tourism development, if conducted properly, should support the local community with an environment that would provide access to science, technology and innovation. Proper network connectivity, especially through high-speed Internet provision, could improve tourism businesses and spread essential information about tourism destinations to a wider audience by building awareness, increasing destination loyalty and ensuring speedy information transfer and retrieval.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Information and communications technology (ICT) / Internet connectivity
Information and communications technology (ICT) / Digital transformation
TARGET 17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South- South and triangular cooperation
Target 17.9 amplifies the importance of enhancing SDG capacity in developing countries. The fact that tourism itself can contribute to all 17 SDGs, and if the potential is translated properly on to sustainable tourism planning, tourism therefore can be a driver to help enhance and support SDG implementation in destinations. The sustainable development of tourism destinations requires a sound planning process as well as continuous management of the key elements that support tourism and its destinations (e.g., maintenance of assets, involvement of the community, involvement of tourism in the planning process for the destination). To this end, by being aware of the potential of tourism and its contribution to the achievement of SDGs, tourism can indeed make a case to attract international support, for enhancing SDG capacity in destinations where tourism is present.Â
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Local economic development / Destination management
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Tourism policies and strategies
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Sustainability reports
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Accountability, compliance and transparencyÂ
TARGET 17.11
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE EXPORTS OF DEVELOPING COUNTIRES, IN PARTICULAR WITH A VIEW TO DOUBLING THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES’ SHARE OF GLOBAL EXPORTS BY 2020Â
Target 17.11 aims to increase the exports of developing countries. Unlike most SDG targets, which are set for the year 2030, this indicator is to be achieved by 2020 according to the progress summary of SDGs targets with a 2020 deadline192 for SDG 17.11, The share of LDC exports in global merchandise trade is roughly the same level as 10 years ago, and far from the target of doubling this share by 2020. The share of developing countries in global merchandise and services exports has flattened over the last few years. A notable question of concern is the access of LDCs exports to international markets, often due to physical connectivity. This concern may be addressed by developing tourism in LDCs which may increase their exports in services.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Financing /Market access
TARGET 17.14
ENHANCE POLICY COHERENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Tourism stakeholders could contribute to this target by developing or adapting and putting into practice improved legislation, national action plans or policies on child labour, forced labour, modern slavery and/or human trafficking and most importantly, translating public commitments into concrete actions. The tourism sector needs to have a clear understanding of the causes and effects of child labour in order to develop effective strategies to abolish child labour.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Local economic development / Destination management
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Tourism policies and strategies
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Sustainability reports
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Accountability, compliance and transparency
TARGET 17.16
ENHANCE THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, COMPLEMENTED BY MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS THAT MOBILIZE AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE, EXPERTISE, TECHNOLOGY AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES, TO SUPPORT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN ALL COUNTRIES, IN PARTICULAR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Target 17.16 relates to enhancing the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development and other development effectiveness monitoring frameworks to maximize the effectiveness of all forms of cooperation for development for the shared benefits of people, the planet, prosperity and peace. Achieving the SDGs requires mobilizing and strengthening multi stakeholder partnerships that can bring and effectively use all the available knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources for sustainable development. To enhance the global partnership, tourismâs strong network of international value chain actors (transportation, accommodation, tour operators, etc.) can be leveraged in order to work together and achieve the SDGs.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Partnerships / Partnership for sustainable development
TARGET 17.17
ENCOURAGE AND PROMOTE EFFECTIVE PUBLIC, PUBLIC-PRIVATE AND CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERSHIPS, BUILDING ON THE EXPERIENCE AND RESOURCING STRATEGIES OF PARTNERSHIPS
Tourism stakeholders could contribute to this target by developing or adapting and putting into practice improved legislation, national action plans or policies on child labour, forced labour, modern slavery and/or human trafficking and most importantly, translating public commitments into concrete actions. The tourism sector needs to have a clear understanding of the causes and effects of child labour in order to develop effective strategies to abolish child labour.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Partnerships / Public-private partnerships (PPP)
TARGET 17.18
BY 2020, ENHANCE CAPACITY-BUILDING SUPPORT TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, INCLUDING FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES, TO INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGH-QUALITY, TIMELY AND RELIABLE DATA DISAGGREGATED BY INCOME, GENDER, AGE, RACE, ETHNICITY, MIGRATORY STATUS, DISABILITY, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS RELEVANT IN NATIONAL CONTEXTS
Tourism, being an avenue that attracts a large proportion of informal, unskilled-low entry jobs, provides an opportunity for tourism development projects to allow for access and availability of reliable data and a source of information to better foster the sustainable development landscape for national policy. Having indicators for this target would mean that it puts in place the necessary statistical development in countries towards implementing the broader Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST). SFMST not only focuses on the economic and environmental dimensions of tourism through the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) and System of Environment Economic Accounting (SEEA),194 but also on the social dimension of tourism, allowing for a comprehensive picture of tourismâs role in sustainable development. Indeed, the UN Statistical Commission has recognized the SF-MST as the main tool for monitoring the contribution of tourism to the SDG Agenda.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Tourism value chain / Tourism satellite account (TSA)
Tourism value chain / Monitoring and reporting
Education and training / Capacity building
