On measuring the sustainability of tourism: MST
With the support of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), UNWTO has launched the initiative Towards a Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST). The aim is to develop an international statistical framework for measuring tourism’s role in sustainable development, including economic, environmental and social dimensions.
Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism aims to provide an internationally agreed statistical framework to measure the impacts and dependencies of tourism on the economy, society and the environment.
As a living example of going beyond GDP, MST will support the production in countries of reliable, internationally comparable data on the performance of countries and subnational tourism destinations when it comes to the sustainability of tourism.
All in all, MST will lead to more robust data to ensure that tourism action on the ground really contributes to the betterment of people’s lives now and into the future.
The MST Statistical Framework is being developed by UNWTO in partnership with leading countries, and with the support of the United Nations Statistics Division, the International Labour Organization and others. Work is being led by the Expert Group on MST under the auspices of the UNWTO Committee on Statistics.
CONSULTATION ON PAST VERSIONS
In line with best practice in the development of internationally agreed statistical frameworks, an open, transparent and inclusive approach to gathering comments and feedback is being applied. Several rounds of consultation on the different versions of Statistical Framework for MST have been carried out among the Expert Group on MST and the UNWTO Committee on Statistics.
- 4th consultation (June/July 2023): version of SF-MST – Summary of comments (available soon)
- 3rd consultation (Dec 2022/January 2023): version of SF-MST – Summary of comments
- 2nd consultation (October 2018): version of SF-MST – Comments
- 1st consultation (February 2018): version of SF-MST - Comments
A global consultation of the 1st draft was also launched on the occasion of the 6th International Conference on Tourism Statistics: Measuring sustainable tourism.
Expert Group on MST
Expert Group on MST
In advancing the MST statistical framework, an open Expert Group has been established to lead the technical development and support engagement among these key stakeholders.
Expert Group on MSTStatistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism
Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism
The Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST) is an organizing structure for integrating statistics on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable tourism.
Statistical FrameworkESG Framework for tourism businesses
ESG Framework for tourism businesses
While a number of ESG reporting and disclosure initiatives already exist, they have been developed relatively independently, meaning the comparability and scalability of ESG reporting is limited. In this context, UNWTO is joining efforts to provide a single ESG framework that can be used as a single reference by all kinds of tourism businesses.
More informationPilot studies and country experiences
Pilot studies and country experiences
Country pilot studies aim to bring together relevant stakeholders and contribute to the design and development of the statistical framework by testing its relevance and feasibility.
Pilot StudiesSustainable Development Goals Indicators
Sustainable Development Goals Indicators
UNWTO Committee on Statistics liaises with the official UN process (IAEG-SDGs) on the development of statistical indicators for the measurement of tourism's role in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG IndicatorsDOCUMENTS/PUBLICATIONS
- MST Brochure
- Overview the initiative
- Experiences from Pilot Studies in Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism: A Synopsis for Policymakers
- Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism - Learning from Pilots
- Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST) - Draft, version 11 September