The Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera), are leading the way, as the first tourism destination to implement the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which sets out a global framework to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030.
The Memorandum of Understanding, an agreement between the United Nations World Tourism Organisation(WTO) and Impulsa Balears Foundation, and in force until 31 December 2021, focuses on the sustainability of the tourism industry on the Islands.
The new project will look at tourism consumption on the Islands, especially within the hotel sector, and identify measures which help tourism become more sustainable. The project will also look at how the sector can have less environmental and social impact. This is expected to come about through deploying new funding and resources.
The expectation is, that the progressive development of the Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera) to the objectives of Agenda 2030, will be achieved through working in collaboration with regional sustainable tourism stakeholders.
The first initiatives of this new agreement will look to establish circular economy guidelines for the island’s hotel and accommodation sector, with the identification of best practices, and recognition, for those already implementing them.
The UNWTO have said “Its aim [Agenda 2030] is to jumpstart the process of the strategic reformulation of tourism in order to make an effective contribution to sustainable development.”
Further reading
- UN WTO (11 April 2019) Press Release (click here)
- UN WTO (2017) Report, Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030 (click here)
