UNWTO and G20 launch "Dashboard" to help tourism promote the SDGs

06-09-23

UNWTO and India's G20 Presidency have joined forces to launch a new tool to promote the contribution of tourism policies and initiatives to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ahead of the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit on 9-10 September, UNWTO has collaborated with the Presidency through the Indian Ministry of Tourism to launch the G20 Dashboard for Tourism and the SDGs. At the midway point between the launch of the 2030 Agenda in 2015 and the deadline for achieving the Agenda, this tool will help promote the sector's contribution to accelerating progress towards realizing the 17 SDGs.

The Goa Roadmap for Tourism and SDGs

The Dashboard shows the pillars of the Goa Roadmap for Tourism as a vehicle to achieve the SDGs around the five priority areas set for the Tourism Working Group, namely 1. Green Tourism; 2. Digitalization; 3. Skills; 4. Tourism MSMEs; and 5. Destination Management.

The UNWTO-G20 Dashboard includes 20 case studies in these five priority areas and will be regularly updated throughout 2023 and beyond, providing a unique reference for tourism policies and initiatives in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.

Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: "G20 countries account for more than 70% of tourism worldwide. Their leadership in transforming the sector is decisive. The G20 Dashboard for Tourism and the SDGs is a concrete outcome of the G20 Tourism Working Group and a reference tool for all. UNWTO is pleased to have joined efforts with the Indian Ministry of Tourism to make this possible."

Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development, North Eastern Region, Government of India, added: "The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has continuously advocated the transformative power of digitization in all sectors, including tourism. Thanks to his visionary leadership, India is becoming a digitally empowered country. Drawing inspiration from its foresight and commitment, the G20 Dashboard for Tourism and SDGs is a testament to our country's digital progress and serves as a knowledge model for all public and private stakeholders around the world. It offers a wealth of insights and showcases best practices, all aimed at guiding the tourism industry towards greater sustainability, resilience and inclusiveness."

Tourism and the G20 economies

• The G20 economies account for around 85 percent of global GDP, more than 75 percent of world trade, and approximately two-thirds of the world's population.  

• In 2022, the G20 welcomed 74 percent of international tourists and 73 percent of tourism exports worldwide. In 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, direct tourism GDP reached 3.7% of G20 economies.

The G20 Dashboard for tourism and the SDGs is included in the Tourism4SDGs Platform (tourism for the SDGs).