Tangible ways forward
Some significant points should be considered in the SDG and tourism context with a gender perspective.
Implementation and monitoring of the sustainability of tourism
Tourism at a local level needs to be designed in consideration of the power relations generated by access to and control of resources, and of the negative impacts on the capacity development of women, girls and boys. It is important to make an analysis of the gender dimensions of women’s participation in different sectors linked to tourism such as agriculture, coffee, services and construction as well as a gender analysis of the private sector related to tourism, mainly multinational corporations.
Policies
Governments need to implement tourism strategies with a cross-cutting gender perspective or design tourism strategies from a gender perspective that become de facto part of the country’s tourism strategy and are prioritized in its budget and resources. The first step is to understand the realities of the women that live in the tourism destinations and of those who are involved in tourism as workers. Participatory tourism planning and management from a gender perspective is one of the essential principles in all policy planning and management. This must of course incorporate corporate social and environmental responsibility, training and education. At this point, it is necessary to foster women’s participation in areas where they are currently not present, but that are essential for the creation and implementation of tourism policies (>> Goal 16 Governance).
Businesses and consumption
Gender analysis needs to be integrated into the value chain to consolidate fair trade and ensure women’s participation and, especially, decision-making. Responsible consumption (>> Goal 12) needs to be encouraged not only in the demand for standards for visitors, but also to increase the security for women and girls living in tourism destinations and for women who travel by their own.
Decent work (>> Goal 8) requires a gender perspective in tourism employment policies, placing emphasis on salary gaps, sexual abuse and harassment by colleagues and tourists, and fostering female workers’ participation and decision-making.
The development of tourism with a gender perspective is essential to attain excellence in the sustainability and responsibility of tourism. Furthermore, since the launch of the
implementation of the 2030 Agenda effectively coincides with the UN declaration of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the tourism sector will be able to demonstrate its political willingness to ensure gender equality and women’s empowerment.