Sustainable Tourism

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an action program for people, the planet and prosperity that incorporates 17 Sustainable Development Goals SDGs in a large action program for a total of 169 ‘target’ or goals.

Sustainable Tourism is recognized as a primary economic and inclusive growth activity in support of the green transition.

What is Sustainable Tourism?

Sustainable tourism is defined by the UNWTO, the World Tourism Organization, as “tourism aware of its present and future social, economic and environmental impact, capable of meeting the needs of visitors, local communities, the environment and businesses.”

For this reason, the AITR, the Italian Association of Responsible Tourism, considers sustainable and responsible tourism as “tourism implemented according to principles of social and economic justice in full respect of the environment and cultures”.

Why choose Sustainable Tourism?

The great strategic potential of the sector is evident and the need for it to develop is easy to understand.

It is essential to facilitate the transition to sustainable tourism, to prevent the increase in travelers from causing further social and environmental damage.

Indeed, tourism, especially mass tourism, causes a high pollution impact, over-exploitation of nature and inconvenience for local populations.

Choosing to implement conscious and responsible tourism can have positive effects on the environment, cultures, societies and economies of the destination countries.

What are the benefits of Sustainable Tourism for companies?

This type of business is destined to grow exponentially in the coming decades. For its ethical value and thanks to the great awareness campaigns that have led more and more people towards eco-sustainable choices.

Sustainable tourism is a win-win solution for everyone: travellers, host countries and organisers. However, it is wrong to believe that sustainable tourism is synonymous of low-cost tourism. Indeed, due to the high quality of the experiences provided, the costs can be even higher than mass tourism. Everything is proportionate to the quality-price principle.

In Italy, there are more places that are prepared to provide locations, services and activities that conform to this idea of tourism, offering more solutions for different price ranges.

Sustainable Tourism in numbers

According to a Booking.com research, in 2021, the global pandemic would have led more people to travel sustainably.

92% of Italian travelers think that traveling sustainably is extremely important and 57% are interested in doing so in the future.

While 3 out of 4 hospitality establishments say they have adopted at least some sustainable practice, only 1 out of 3 clearly says so to potential guests on the various channels.

According to the UNWTO “by 2030 there will be 1.8 billion global travellers, while already today tourism represents 5% of direct world GDP, guarantees work for 235 million people and is one of the main sources of income for many countries.”

In Europe, sustainable tourism generates 10.3% of GDP and is responsible for 11.2% of total employment.

For this reason, on 25 March 2021, the European Parliament promoted European strategies in favor of sustainable tourism to facilitate investments in this sector through ad hoc funding and regulations.

How can we support the transition process towards Sustainable Tourism?

The Italian-Arab Chamber can support your business by providing you with:

The guide created by the European Commission for EU funding in the field of tourism, a digital system with which to discover all the solutions available with the Next Generation EU and the 2021-2027 financial framework.
search for European funding calls and drafting a possible project.
The contacts of tour operators providing sustainable tourism services.
The contacts of structures or other partners engaged in sustainable and responsible tourism.

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