LAURA VANETTI
International Executive Director Department of Sustainable Tourism
Department of Sustainable Tourism
Making tourism meaningful, sustainable and peaceful
Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”
Additionally, they say that sustainable tourism “refers to the environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established between these three dimensions to guarantee its long-term sustainability” (UNEP & UNWTO, 2005: 11-12. Making Tourism More Sustainable – A Guide for Policy Makers).
Institute of International Peace Leaders through its Department of Sustainable Tourism covers the complete tourism experience and name the group International Peace Convoy which includes
economics
Social
cultural
environment
political
inner peace
IIPL Sustainable tourism embraces concerns for environmental protection, social equity, and the quality of life, cultural diversity, and a dynamic, viable economy delivering jobs, political and diplomatic relations, prosperity and inner peace for all.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization emphasized these practices by promoting sustainable tourism as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, through programs like the International Year for Sustainable Tourism for Development in 2017. There is a direct link between sustainable tourism and several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Tourism for SDGs focuses on how SDG 8 (“decent work and economic growth”), SDG 12 (“responsible consumption and production”) and SDG 14 (“life below water”) implicate tourism in creating a sustainable economy and specially SDG 16 (“Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”). Improvements are expected to be gained from suitable management aspects and including sustainable tourism as part of a broader sustainable development strategy.