Unite Believe Achieve
Few
may know it, but the United Nations has a plan for us all to re-focus our lives
around 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The
tourism industry is perfectly placed to bring the SDGs to life. Many of the most
inspiring and exclusive destinations we visit are amongst the most vulnerable
places and communities on the planet.
We
have the chance to focus our guests’ attention on the SDGs, bring them to life
through our own, destination specific, projects and make the kind of genuine,
cross-cultural connections which are likely to become true tour highlights.
The
chance is there to build a network of SDG centres which connect operators and
hoteliers to their communities, and which connect to each other. This way, we
can build financial and professional capacity to integrate projects, create
best practice and to unite participating companies and organisations across the
globe.
Whilst
the collective drive to achieve net zero remains a vital component of our
efforts (SDG 13 – Climate action), there are 16 other SDGs which require our
focus. Many of them allow us to invest creatively in the specific needs of the
communities which surround us and the projects we undertake can be hugely
rewarding.
Many
operators already have excellent projects which simply need pointing at the
relevant SDGs. The key is to come together under the most powerful global organisation
there is, spread our message rapidly, and make meaningful change along the way.
At A Tent With A View, we are placing SDG centres in each of our facilities across Tanzania. Each centre showcases the 17 UN SDGs, as do the
staff uniforms, room art and other means of carrying messages relevant to
individual SDGs. Each centre also focuses on a particular project undertaken by
the hotel and shows which goals it addresses.