ROLE OF TOURISM IN ACHIEVING THE UNITED NATION’S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)

Abstract

One of the biggest and fastest-growing sectors in the world, tourism is crucial to the worldwide endeavour to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN by 2030. Using secondary data from international sources like the World Bank, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and national tourism development reports, this study examines the diverse ways that the tourism industry contributes to the SDGs. SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) are the main SDGs that are the subject of the analysis because they are the ones that tourism directly affects. According to the research, tourism boosts jobs and the economy, especially in underdeveloped and small island countries, but it also presents problems with environmental damage and cultural commodification. In line with the SDG framework, eco-tourist concepts, communitybased tourism, and sustainable tourism projects have demonstrated quantifiable advantages. In many nations, the data also point to shortcomings in infrastructure development, policy execution, and measurement systems. The study comes to the conclusion that improved crosssectorial collaboration, policy alignment, and monitoring systems are necessary for tourism to be a dependable engine of sustainable development. Governments, industry participants, and development organizations are given suggestions on how to maximize tourism's contribution to the SDGs.

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