UN Adopts Tourism Employment Indicator to Strengthen SDG Monitoring
The United Nations has officially adopted a new tourism employment indicator as part of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Indicator Framework, marking a significant recognition of tourism’s role in global development. Endorsed at the 56th session of the UN Statistical Commission, this move ensures that, for the first time, tourism employment will be systematically monitored within the SDG framework. This update expands the number of official SDG tourism indicators from two to three, reinforcing tourism’s contribution to economic and social progress. UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili highlighted the new indicator’s importance in measuring tourism’s impact beyond GDP, enabling policymakers to address inequalities and maximise the sector’s benefits.
The indicator, developed in collaboration with Austria, Spain, Saudi Arabia, CARICOM, the International Labour Organization (ILO), and UN Tourism, will provide crucial labour market insights by tracking tourism employment levels across countries. With tourism accounting for 5.6% of global employment between 2015 and 2023 and playing an even more vital role in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the data will help drive policies that support sustainable tourism growth. The indicator will now be integrated into UN SDG reports and databases, equipping governments and industry stakeholders with valuable information to foster a more inclusive and resilient tourism sector worldwide.
Source: UN Tourism