The Sector Dialogue on Tourism for Sustainable Development
The Sector Dialogue on Tourism for Sustainable Development was launched in 2016 with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The multi-stakeholder partnership currently includes around 30 German and European companies from the travel industry, tourism associations, non-governmental organisations and universities. The aim of the Sector Dialogue is to jointly achieve positive effects for sustainable development in the countries of the Global South through tourism.
The aim: to leverage the potential of tourism
Tourism has great potential to contribute to sustainable development: it creates jobs in the country, promotes local economic cycles, strengthens local infrastructure and can help to preserve nature and culture and reduce poverty and inequality. However, uncontrolled tourism development harbours enormous risks. In order to ensure that the positive effects of tourism are also felt in the countries of the Global South, a joint commitment is needed - this is the conviction of the members of the Sector Dialogue.
The approach: Working together for an important cause
The different perspectives and contexts of the individual stakeholder groups bring a broad and multi-perspective expertise to the Sector Dialogue. In Germany, the Sector Dialogue acts primarily as a think tank that helps to shape political discourse, while in the partner countries, the members' joint projects are at the forefront of their commitment. One exemplary project is the development and implementation of the ‘Training on human rights due diligence in tourism’, in which industry-wide suppliers to the tourism industry are trained locally on human rights due diligence in accordance with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG).