Baseline Report on the Integration of Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns into Tourism Policies

Advancing sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns is essential if the sector is to contribute effectively to sustainable development. UNWTO expects international tourist arrivals to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, if not before. As the sector is growing faster than the world economy or international trade, the need to decouple its growth from the use of natural resources is of high importance. 

UNWTO with support from UN Environment and the Government of France embarked on this research project with the objective to gain insights on the integration of SCP into tourism policies. Based on 101 national tourism policies from around the world, this report presents the first global assessment of SCP policy instruments in national tourism. The report also contributes to visualizing the progress achieved towards the implementation of SDG Target 12.b., which calls for “the development and implementation of tools to monitor sustainable development impacts of tourism”.

The report ultimately aims to inspire stakeholders and encourage them to advance the implementation of the SDGs through sustainable tourism by recommending five strategic approaches such as: 

• Use the SDGs as a guiding framework and prioritize SDG12 for multiplier effects; 
• Outline SCP policy instruments to pave the way towards implementation of policies;
• Support the regular and timely measurement of SCP for effective implementation;
• Incorporate geospatial data to visualize the interactions of tourism with the environment;
• Embrace other innovative approaches – circularity as an SCP enabler.

Access the full report here

To learn more about countries working on the intergartion of sistainable consumption and production patterns in the tourism sector, please consult Sustainable Tourism Policy Talks #SDGsTourism Talks