Tourexpi
The Statistical Framework for Measuring the
Sustainability of Tourism (MST) thus becomes the internationally agreed
reference framework for measuring the economic, social and environmental
aspects of tourism.
The adoption by the UN Statistical
Commission at its 55th session (27 February – 1 March 2024) marks a
historical milestone towards harnessing the full potential of the sector,
providing a solution to the pressing need for a harmonized methodology to
effectively assess the sustainability of tourism.
"Tourism is a powerful force for positive
change when managed responsibly and sustainably," says Zurab
Pololikashvili, UN Tourism Secretary General. "The adoption of the
Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism marks a
paradigm shift, going beyond GDP by enabling the measurement of what matters
most to people and planet."
The adoption of the Statistical Framework for
Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism marks a paradigm shift, going beyond
GDP by enabling the measurement of what matters most to people and planet
Collaborative effort
This achievement is the fruit of a seven-year UN
process led by Austria and Spain as co-chairs of the UN Tourism Committee on
Statistics, with Saudi Arabia and Seychelles as co-vice chairs. Under
auspices of the Committee, the Framework was developed thanks to the
extraordinary work of the multistakeholder Expert Group on Measuring the
Sustainability of Tourism composed of 40+ countries and 30+ international and
regional organizations including the UN Statistics Division, the International
Labour Organization (ILO), subnational authorities and observatories, academia
and others.
The work involved technical guidance from an
Editorial Board chaired first by the Philippines and then by Canada, as well as
extensive engagement and consultation with input from numerous pilots in
countries.
The Statistical Commission expressed an
overwhelmingly enthusiastic support with 34 countries, 3 world regions and
international organizations taking active part in the deliberations: Antigua
and Barbuda, Austria, Benin on behalf of the African Group, Cabo Verde, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt,
Finland on behalf of the European Statistical System, Greece, Jamaica, India,
Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New
Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Gulf
Cooperation Council, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Tanzania, United Arab
Emirates, United States of America, the Committee for the Coordination of
Statistical Activities and ILO.
Looking ahead, the Commission also welcomed the
future development of an implementation programme, including a compilation
guide, and called on the international donor community to support the financing
for measuring the sustainability of tourism.
Established in 1947, the UN Statistical Commission
gathers Chief Statisticians from Member States and international organizations,
and is the highest decision-making body for international statistical
activities. The last time that the Commission adopted a statistical standard
for tourism was in 2008, when the International Recommendations for Tourism
Statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account framework were presented.
Closing the gap between policy and statistics
In the margins of the United Nations Statistical
Commission, Austria, Spain and UN Tourism co-organized the high-level side
event “Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism: Closing the gap between policy
and statistics”, in collaboration with the UN Committee for
Economic-Environmental Accounting. Austria and Spain shared their vision on the
importance of the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of
Tourism for evidence-based policy and decisions, while acknowledging its
significance in upholding the relevance of statistical systems worldwide and
the links to key topics like data governance and stewardship.
Mexico, the Philippines and Canada reflected on
their pioneering experiences with implementing the framework, showcasing the
power of integrating data from different domains and sources to distil more
holistic and meaningful information on tourism.
The event raised awareness of the Statistical
Framework for MST and functioned as an informative preamble to the UN
Statistical Commission’s formal deliberations.
Image
Credit: © UN Tourism
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