Decent work opportunities in tourism, particularly for youth and women, migrants and displaced persons, and policies that favour better diversification through tourism value chains can enhance tourism-positive socioeconomic impacts. 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 – a recognition reflected explicitly in Target 8.9 “By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.”
The careful management of tourism will unlock tourism’s potential to stimulate job creation, contribute to rural development, promote cultural awareness, and help preserve local cultural traditions, etc. Due to the crosscutting nature of tourism, it is the perfect vehicle for the journey towards achieving the SDGs.
There are eight targets within SDG 8 that are deemed to have a stronger and direct link for tourism to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. These targets have been selected to base the potential project indicators.
TARGET 8.2
ACHIEVE HIGHER LEVELS OF ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH DIVERSIFICATION, TECHNOLOGICAL UPGRADING AND INNOVATION, INCLUDING THROUGH A FOCUS ON HIGH-VALUE ADDED AND LABOUR-INTENSIVE SECTORS
As a labour-intensive sector, tourism benefits from technology and digitalization, from automation of various processes in the industry – from booking and reservation systems to new and innovative ways to improve business operations. By leveraging these technologies, tourism businesses can increase efficienc reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction, leading to an increase in revenue and overall economic growth. Tourism also has a significant multiplier effect on employment, cutting across various sectors.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Education and training / Capacity building and training
Business development / Innovation
TARGET 8.3
PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT-ORIENTED POLICIES THAT SUPPORT PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES, DECENT JOB CREATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION, AND ENCOURAGE THE FORMALIZATION AND GROWTH OF MICRO-, SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES, INCLUDING THROUGH ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES
Tourism’s contribution to this target can be seen through its role to create and revise policies which would lift barriers to securing the local conditions for job creation. Tourism stakeholders should avoid working in silos and overcome institutional barriers and rigidities in management structures to create policies which would be flexible enough to be tailored to local conditions. Many tourism workers operate in the informal sector, with conditions far more vulnerable than formal employment, thus, the sector has an obligation to improve the situation of these workers and create conditions for the transition to formalization and also conditions conducive to growth.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Business development / Entrepreneurship promotion, MSMEs
Financing / Access to finance
Tourism value chain / Supplier code of conduct
Employment / Informal employment
TARGET 8.4
IMPROVE PROGRESSIVELY, THROUGH 2030, GLOBAL RESOURCE EFFICIENCY IN CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION AND ENDEAVOUR TO DECOUPLE ECONOMIC GROWTH FROM ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE 10-YEAR FRAMEWORK OF PROGRAMMES ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION, WITH DEVELOPED COUNTRIES TAKING THE LEAD
Tourism is energy-intensive and as a sector can also be a source of environmental damage, especially when reliant on scarce resources like fossil fuels, therefore, as a contribution to this target, tourism stakeholders should endeavour to maximize tourism’s contribution to sustainable development, while minimizing its negative impacts, particularly by accelerating the shift towards increased renewable energy. The tourism sector needs to adopt sustainable consumption and production (SCP) modes, accelerating the shift towards sustainability. It is imperative to identify key points of intervention within the tourism value chain to reduce the use of natural resources and environmental impacts caused by production and consumption.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Natural resource management / Water, Renewable energy
Waste / Waste management
Sustainable consumption and production patterns / One Planet Sustainable Tourism Programme (One Planet-STP)
TARGET 8.5
BY 2030, ACHIEVE FULL AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND DECENT WORK FOR ALL WOMEN AND MEN, INCLUDING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, AND EQUAL PAY FOR WORK OF EQUAL VALUE
Tourism’s contribution to this target relies on the role it plays in ensuring the welfare of the myriad of different groups working in the tourism sector is taken cared of; this includes those belonging to vulnerable groups, immigrants, people in poverty, etc. Tourism industries are largely labour-intensive and provide jobs for many people. Tourism provides working people with income and experience and therefore contributes to their social inclusion and personal development. The sector is sensitive to seasonality; its industries have a global dimension and often demands flexibility from tourism workers. Particular attention needs to be paid to job insecurity and the social welfare of its workforce.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Employment / Decent work, Job creation
Local community / Local community participation
Women’s empowerment / Women in directive positions
Education and training / Capacity building
Tourism value chain / Supplier code of conduct
Target 8.6
BY 2020, SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE PROPORTION OF YOUTH NOT IN EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION OR TRAINING
The United Nation’s Common Agenda emphasizes the importance of transforming education, skills and lifelong learning Building on the UN Common Agenda, tourism can contribute to this target by mobilizing actions and solutions to encourage youth to be in employment, education or training within the tourism sector. By having tourism training, youth would be able to improve their future employability through investment in skills or gaining experience through employment.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Employment / Youth employment
Education and training / Capacity building
TARGET 8.7
TAKE IMMEDIATE AND EFFECTIVE MEASURES TO ERADICATE FORCED LABOUR, END MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND SECURE THE PROHIBITION AND ELIMINATION OF THE WORST FORMS OF CHILD LABOUR, INCLUDING RECRUITMENT AND USE OF CHILD SOLDIERS, AND BY 2025 END CHILD LABOUR IN ALL ITS FORMS
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:
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Human trafficking, Child protection, Tourism destination security
Education and training / Awareness raising, Capacity building
Tourism value chain / Supplier code of conduct
TARGET 8.8
PROTECT LABOUR RIGHTS AND PROMOTE SAFE AND SECURE WORKING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ALL WORKERS, INCLUDING MIGRANT WORKERS, IN PARTICULAR WOMEN MIGRANTS, AND THOSE IN PRECARIOUS EMPLOYMENT
Working conditions are an important determinant of overall living standards – both for workers and their families – and cover a wide range of factors related to work and employment, including working time, remuneration and the work environment, among others. A safe and sound work environment ensuring occupational safety and health at work is at the core of decent work.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Health / Occupational safety and health
Employment / Decent work
Tourism value chain / Supplier code of conduct
TARGET 8.9
BY 2030, DEVISE AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM THAT CREATES JOBS AND PROMOTES LOCAL CULTURE AND PRODUCTS
Target 8.9 is one of the three targets which explicitly mentions tourism and recognizes the importance of tourism in its role for sustainable development. The target aims to promote beneficial and sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
The value of the economic contribution of tourism covered by this target could indicate the degree to which tourism is being successfully promoted. The target is useful for policy on tourism at national level and the level of subnational regions as it gives a more inclusive measure of the economic contribution of tourism (i.e., including all forms of tourism according to the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics (IRTS 2008), which can be compared to the GDP contributions of other economic activities.
Target 8.9 has been found especially useful in promoting and mainstreaming tourism in policy agendas at all levels and allows for comparison across countries. The official Global Indicator for this target is 8.9.1: Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate. The indicator relies on the Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008, an international standard adopted by the UN Statistical Commission and elaborated by World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and EUROSTAT.
Potential indicators in this target are grouped by the following Theme and sub-theme:
Legal frameworks, policies and rule of law / Tourism policies and strategies
Local economic development / Local people employment, Local products
Tourism value chain / Tourism products
