A team of researchers from the University of Westminster, Swansea University, the University of Mauritius, Patna University and Qatar University studied the development of sustainable tourism from its early days to present day, and suggest that going forwards, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should guide research and policy making.
The study, which was led by Westminster alumnus Dr Robin Nunkoo who is now Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius, analysed articles from the Journal of Sustainable Tourism from its beginning in 1993 to present time, using machine-learning to identify the common topics covered and the changes in the coverage of these topics over time. Using citations from the articles, the study also identified changes to the subject areas that have contributed to the articles over time, and particularly focused on articles that feature the United Nations SDGs.
There has been a growing influence of the business discipline on research in sustainable tourism. Through their analysis, the researchers found that pro-environmental behaviour has shown a steady increase in importance over time. However, they note that relatively few articles have also addressed the broader development goals represented by the UN’s SDGs. Additionally, most of the articles focus their attention on one or two SDGs, but the researchers argue that there is insufficient consideration of SDGs as a network of goals.
While the growing influence of the business discipline in sustainable tourism research has its value, the researchers argue that it should not become a dominant philosophy that simply reinforces business interests. They therefore recommend that research should draw on ideas and concepts from several disciplines in order to address the multi-dimensional nature of contemporary problems of society such as climate change, poverty and persistent inequality. Furthermore, the SDGs should be considered as a network of goals that have influences on each other.
While the implementation of SDGs is at an early stage, the article raises awareness of the current lack of examination of the interconnections between various SDGs. The findings in the area of sustainable tourism can be generalised to other areas of sustainability, and the researchers expect the article to lead to greater consideration of SDGs as a network of goals in organisational strategies and public policies.
Furthermore, the need for cross-disciplinary solutions to societal, environmental and economic concerns calls for inter-departmental approaches to SDGs in organisations and governmental bodies.
Talking about the research, Vivek Sunnassee, Senior Lecturer in the School of Finance and Accounting and co-author of the article, said: “SDGs are best studied from a combination of several disciplinary perspectives and this paper is the result of the work of a multidisciplinary team. SDGs are currently under-researched, and this area lends itself well to impactful outcomes. I would encourage colleagues who are considering research in this area to adopt a multidisciplinary approach.”
Read the full paper in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism.
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