Tourism and the sustainable development goals: Stakeholders' perspectives from Nepal

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and achieve prosperity for all by bringing together policymakers, academia, practitioners, and all other relevant tourism stakeholders and providing policy and strategic engagement guidelines. As tourism is the fastest-growing sector of the global economy, examining the connections between tourism and the SDGs is relevant to both developing and developed countries. This study explores the Nepalese tourism industry's role in addressing the SDGs from the perspective of various tourism stakeholders (academia, the government, the private tourism industry, and public-private organizations). To present a comprehensive picture, this study employed a case study approach. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with tourism industry stakeholders. The findings suggest that, to varying degrees, the SDGs are applicable as well as achievable for Nepal. However, several issues may impede the full implementation of these goals. The implications of these findings are discussed in the paper.

Automated summary

The study examines how the Nepalese tourism industry can address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), finding that these goals are applicable and achievable in Nepal to varying degrees, but there are still some obstacles that may impede their full implementation.