World Tourism Day is commemorated every year on September 27 with the purpose of raising awareness in the international community about the social, cultural, political and economic value of tourism, as well as how the sector can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, under the theme “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”, it focuses on the sector’s ability to drive inclusive development and the role it plays in creating opportunities for millions of people around the world. This economic sector employs one in ten people and provides livelihoods for hundreds of millions.

World Tourism Day is commemorated every year on September 27 with the purpose of raising awareness in the international community about the social, cultural, political and economic value of tourism, as well as how the sector can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, under the theme “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”, it focuses on the sector’s ability to drive inclusive development and the role it plays in creating opportunities for millions of people around the world. This economic sector employs one in ten people and provides livelihoods for hundreds of millions.

In our country, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the Government of Spain has recently presented the Destination Tourism Sustainability Strategy, which will lay the foundations for a new tourism model to transform destinations according to sustainable criteria aligned with the SDGs. The Strategy seeks, firstly, to improve tourist destinations through investment; secondly, to incorporate sustainability and digitalisation in the management of destinations’ tourism resources, infrastructures and products; thirdly, diversify the supply to help generate employment and activity opportunities, promote territorial cohesion and the deconcentration of demand; and, fourthly and finally, to improve the natural capital of the tourism system, guaranteeing its permanence by reducing emissions, improving waste and water management, protecting, restoring and taking advantage of ecosystems for tourism, renaturing them and introducing actions to prevent or adapt to the effects of climate change.

In line with the above, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has collaborated since 2017 in projects related to tourism where more than 5,000 people have participated. Currently, we support training and capacity building actions in the tourism sector thanks to which actions have been promoted that have helped the conservation of biodiversity and entrepreneurship in sectors such as ecotourism, thus promoting the promotion of sustainable business models.

Thus, within the framework of the Empleaverde Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund, the ES-TUR project is being executed , a training programme for the development of tourism compatible with the Marine Strategy developed by the Institute of Coastal Ecology. Thanks to this initiative, participants receive training and advice on topics such as responsible fish purchasing, sustainable fishing gastronomy or training on the design of environmental education activities for the interpretation of natural heritage in the marine and fishing environment.

On the other hand, the University of Murcia develops a comprehensive plan for professional qualification in Special Areas of Conservation. The trainings that are integrated into the project allow training on the factors influencing the environmental degeneration of strategic tourist areas or on topics such as physical activity, sports and active leisure as a vehicle for environmental awareness and a tool for the reactivation of the economy and employment on the Murcian coast. In addition, through the project it is possible to know the environmental situation to offer a tourist offer of sustainable activities in the Mar Menor, the Murcian coast and the Strait.

Finally, ZOEA Dissemination and Research of the Marine Environment promotes through its project actions to train professionals and entrepreneurs in the underwater ecotourism sector. Through these actions, the initiative improves the skills, knowledge and competences of the participants to create, develop and launch blue economy business initiatives in this sector.