Member states of the United Nations Organization (UN) approved a declaration with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a commitment that expired in 2015 and the organization turned the page and moved on to a new resolution: the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG).
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), an organization affiliated with the United Nations, produced a proposal describing what tourism could contribute, and released the document: ,The contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals”.
It begins by pointing out: “2015 has become a milestone for sustainability as it is the year in which governments have agreed to adopt a development agenda”, one with “bold and ambitious goals”. New “transformative, people-centric” agenda.
The SDGs consist of 17 objectives and 169 targets and outline the new world development agenda until 2030 and tourism can contribute directly or indirectly to all of them, mainly related to inclusive, sustainable economic growth, consumption, sustainable production Are. and use of marine resources.
The proposal of UNWTO did not have much resonance in our country. It was reduced to speech phrases and declarations of good intentions in order to interject and color one or another official document. Only environmentalists mentioned the issue on occasions and some businessmen started initiatives.
When I learned about the UNWTO document, I became excited and wrote articles to draw attention to it. It was a proposal that could improve tourism in 15 years, which was spent without success, although the development of tourism itself was in charge of showing that it was possible to move forward on these issues.
The Ministry of Tourism did not incorporate these ideas into its actual agenda, despite the fact that the achievements were recorded, without any planned product, which served as propaganda and polished officials’ sleazy speeches. I am referring to issues such as the impact of tourism on agriculture, on micro, small and medium-sized businesses across the country, on women’s participation, on local culture and other lesser-known incidents.
I have followed the matter. That is why the International Forum on Sustainable Tourism in the Dominican Republic caught my attention. I arrived at the meeting without high expectations, but interested because there’s always something to be learned at these appointments.
Wonder! I got excited about a really interesting day. What was most enjoyable was getting an atmosphere of commitment from the Ministry of Tourism team and listening to micro-entrepreneurs from high-profile businessmen and community initiatives with multi-million dollar investments, sharing their experiences and beliefs about sustainable tourism Was.
In Punta Cana, on Tuesday, my fears began to fade that 2030, the SDGs’ target year, would arrive without real government-business commitment, and with only Frank Rainieri a lone ranger for sustainability in the tourism industry. Mitur was confident that he understands that without sustainable tourism development, the journey of Dominican tourism will be short. Go ahead, there’s a lot to do!
