(Source: Ian T. McFarland/flickr)
China has its work cut out for it when it comes to meeting the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) — something it promised to do along with signing the Paris Agreement on April 22. As one of the biggest culprits in greenhouse gas emissions, Beijing needs to become one of the beacons of sustainable efforts in years ahead to further global goals of cutting carbon emissions, notably by bringing its tourism industry on board. Dirk Glaesser, director of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) Sustainable Development Program, told China’s largest news agency Xinhua this week that the First World Conference on Tourism for Development occurring in Beijing from May 18 to 21 will provide a much-needed crossover between sustainable goals and the global tourism industry.
He noted that tourism has contributed to the U.N.’s goals by promoting economic growth, and furthering prosperity and development — therein lies the responsibility for the tourism industry to get on the sustainability train. Because tourism is so essential to healthy economies, governments and companies must improve tourism-based operations in order to become compliant with the SDGs and set sustainable practices for the future…
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