MINISTER of Tourism Edmund Bartlett says increasing awareness of environmental concerns within the tourism sector is in keeping with the new transformational agenda adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015.

Bartlett told the opening session of the recent 58th United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Commission for Africa and Sustainable Tourism Conference & Symposium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, that the increasing awareness was discernible among visitors, as well as stakeholders.

“A 2015Booking.com survey has found that 52 per cent of travellers are likely to choose a destination based on its environmental impact, and that travellers are three times as likely to plan to stay in more ‘green’ accommodations in 2015 than they did in 2014,” the minister said.

“In 2015, a World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) survey revealed that many of the world’s biggest travel and tourism companies are on course to cutting CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2035. Various statistics have demonstrated the increasing awareness of environmental concerns, not just by visitors, but by all stakeholders within the industry. Hilton Hotels worldwide reduced energy use by 13.6 per cent, carbon output by 20.2 per cent, waste output by 26.8 per cent, and water usage by 13.1 per cent between 2009 and 2014,” he also noted.

The conference held discussions on various perspectives related to the implementation of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, adopted last September as ‘Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustained Development’, as its post-2015 agenda aimed at building on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to Bartlett, the UNWTO conference discussed the policies and frameworks in the tourism sectors in a search for ideas and best practices. The conference also dealt with the availability of resources for technical assistance for building knowledge on the principle of sustainable consumption, informing tourism policy, and creating the relevant legal frameworks.

It also sought to determine how best to measure progress across the various states and regions using key performance indicators to recognise successes and determine what areas need improvement.

Bartlett, who participated in the meeting in his capacity as chairman of the Board of directors of the UNWTO Affiliates Executive Council and whose participation was covered by the UNWTO, said that the advantages of the 17 SDGs in the sphere of tourism is that it allows ministers of tourism to focus on human capital development.

He noted that, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism makes a total contribution of 9.5 per cent of total employment in the world as at 2015: That is 283.5 million jobs, of which 22 million jobs represent the contribution tourism has made to Africa in 2015.

“Coupled with a call for sustainable tourism, emphasising areas such as community tourism, eco-tourism and agri-tourism, we can see that the expansion of these new areas will require more labour and new skills. In essence, this will require what I have termed, as the minister of tourism in Jamaica, the five pillars: new markets, new products, new investments, new partnerships and human capital development — all of which encompass the 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” he stated.

During the visit, the Ivory Coast Government agreed to exchange technical support for Jamaica’s artisan villages for Jamaica’s assistance in marketing and promotions, particularly in the North American market. The Ivory Coast is renowned for its thriving craft industry.

The UN adopted the SDGs and targets to build on the MDGs and complete what they did not achieve. They also seek to realise the human rights of all, and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

The UN says they are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development — the economic, social and environmental — and will stimulate action over the next 15 years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet.