Intrepid Travel and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
Launched by the UN in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outline a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, strengthen universal peace, and limit climate change.
The 17 goals are outlined in the document, Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and reaching these goals will take everyone’s contribution - including government, civil society and business.
Intrepid has identified eight SDGs that best align to our business’ key focus areas and we work to contribute to, rather than diminish, their health and value.
By focusing on these goals, we’re ensuring a strong commitment to the global agenda and to being a company that balances purpose and profit. To simplify things, we’ve categorised them under five themes known as the ‘5 P’s’: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships. You can find more information about how we’re realising our SDGs in our latest annual report.
Forward Faster
In 2023, we took our commitment to the SDGs one step further by signing up as an early adopter of the UNGC's Forward Faster initiative, a bold commitment to act on the sustainable development goals and support urgent calls for greater corporate accountability and transparency. We signed up to the living wage and climate action goals – two areas where we believe we have the power to positively and rapidly accelerate progress and make the biggest and fastest impact by 2030.
Currently, only 15% of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals are on track for 2030. We and the entire corporate sector must be more ambitious.
Intrepid’s 8 Sustainable Development Goals
Tourism can empower women in many ways, but particularly through the creation of jobs and income generating opportunities in small and larger-scale tourism and hospitality-related enterprises.
Tourism is one of the driving forces of global economic growth and before the pandemic, accounted for one in every 10 jobs worldwide. With decent work opportunities in the tourism sector, society – particularly youth and women – can benefit from increased skills and professional development. Tourism is a job creator and can reduce poverty and and help economies to grow.
Tourism can be a powerful tool in reducing inequality if it engages local communities and key stakeholders in its development. It can contribute to urban renewal and rural development and reduce regional imbalances by giving communities the opportunity to prosper in their place of origin.
A city that is not good for its citizens is not good for tourists. Sustainable tourism has the potential to advance urban infrastructure and universal accessibility, promote regeneration of areas in decay and preserve cultural and natural heritage – all assets upon which tourism depends.
Tourism stakeholders should play a leading role in the global response to climate change. By reducing its carbon footprint, tourism can benefit from low carbon growth and help tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
Tourism can contribute to healthy oceans, seas, reefs and marine areas, on which many countries, including island states, rely. Tourism development must be a part of Integrated Coastal Zone Management to help conserve and preserve fragile marine ecosystems and serve as a vehicle to promote a blue economy and contribute to the sustainable use of marine resources.
Tourism can contribute toward conservation and the protection of biodiverse areas, including national parks, forests and mountain regions. By adopting a ‘protect, restore and promote approach’, sustainable tourism can play a major role, not only in conserving and preserving biodiversity, but also in respecting terrestrial ecosystems.
Due to its cross-sectorial nature, tourism can strengthen private/public partnerships and engage multiple stakeholders – international, national, regional and local – to work together to achieve SDGs and other common goals. The pandemic has highlighted the socio-economic value of responsible travel and tourism, and the industry will play a crucial role in helping communities to recover from the crisis.