Tourism and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Contemporary society has experienced a significant evolution in its engagement with sustainability, driven by various factors, including global initiatives such as the United Nations (UN) Global Compact (2000), further energized by the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study explores the interplay between tourism and these UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, employing a bibliometric analysis of scholarly literature, with findings processed through Iramuteq software. The investigation reveals that academic discourse connects tourism to 13 of the 17 SDGs outlined in the UN’s 2030 Agenda, with a predominant focus on SDG 8 – decent work and economic growth. Notably, the analysis uncovers a discrepancy in the scholarly treatment of SDG 14 – life below water, which, despite being earmarked by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as a critical area for tourism, receives limited attention, in contrast to SDG 11 – sustainable cities and communities. The study concludes that the academic exploration of the nexus between tourism and the SDGs has been relatively superficial, lacking depth in the context of the broader tourism and sustainability discourse.