2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

The 2017 Inter­na­tion­al Year of Sus­tain­able Tour­ism for Devel­op­ment aims to sup­port a change in policies, busi­ness prac­tices and con­sumer beha­vi­or towards a more sus­tain­able tour­ism sec­tor; one that can con­trib­ute to the uni­ver­sal 2030 Agenda for Sus­tain­able Devel­op­ment and the Sus­tain­able Devel­op­ment Goals (SDGs).

UNW­TO’s Dis­cus­sion Paper on “Sus­tain­able Tour­ism for Devel­op­ment” is open for pub­lic con­sulta­tion until June 30, 2017 — “Enriched by your input, the dis­cus­sion paper will be trans­formed into a final pub­lic­a­tion on ‘Sus­tain­able Tour­ism for Devel­op­ment’ for the Inter­na­tion­al Year, to be pub­lished later in 2017.”

The 2017 Inter­na­tion­al Year of Sus­tain­able Tour­ism (#IY2017) will pro­mote tour­is­m’s role in:

1. Inclus­ive and sus­tain­able eco­nom­ic growth 
   • 4% or more annu­al increase in inter­na­tion­al tour­ist arrivals since 2009
   • 7% of total world exports and 30% of world ser­vices exports
   • US$ 1.5 tril­lion in exports from inter­na­tion­al tour­ism in 2015
   • 10% of world GDP
2. Social inclus­ive­ness, employ­ment and poverty reduction 
   • One in every elev­en jobs globally
   • Largest export cat­egory in many devel­op­ing countries
   • 57% of inter­na­tion­al tour­ist arrivals in 2030 will be in emer­ging economies
   • Almost twice as many women employ­ers as oth­er sectors
3. Resource effi­ciency, envir­on­ment­al pro­tec­tion and cli­mate change 
   • Com­mit­ted to redu­cing its 5% of world CO2 emissions
   • Raises fin­an­cing for con­ser­va­tion of her­it­age, wild­life and the environment
   • Can be a vehicle for pro­tect­ing and restor­ing biodiversity
   • Must sus­tain­ably man­age an expec­ted 1.8 bil­lion inter­na­tion­al tour­ists in 2030
4. Cul­tur­al val­ues, diversity and heritage 
   • Revives tra­di­tion­al activ­it­ies and customs
   • Empowers com­munit­ies and nur­tures pride with­in them
   • Pro­motes cul­tur­al diversity
   • Raises aware­ness of the value of heritage
5. Mutu­al under­stand­ing, peace and security 
   • Breaks down bar­ri­ers and builds bridges between vis­it­ors and hosts
   • Provides oppor­tun­it­ies for cross-cul­tur­al encoun­ters that can build peace
   • A resi­li­ent sec­tor that recov­ers quickly from secur­ity threats
   • A tool for soft diplomacy