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Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST): New Wine in an Old Bottle?

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  • Larry Dwyer

    (Business School, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia)

Abstract

In March 2024, UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) released for publication the Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainable Tourism (SF-MST). The SF-MST is claimed to give a full account of tourism’s current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities. An important motivation for the development of the SF-MST is recognition that standard economic measures such as GDP do not capture important dimensions of people’s well-being. While the SF-MST contributes to the development of an international statistical framework for tourism, this paper argues that failure to adequately incorporate well-being outcomes within its recommended range of ‘sustainability’ indicators greatly restricts the scope and policy significance of the SF-MST. The paper concludes with suggestions for further extensions of the SF-MST framework to strengthen its policy relevance.

Suggested Citation

  • Larry Dwyer, 2024. "Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST): New Wine in an Old Bottle?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:14:p:5867-:d:1432074
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    10. Larry Dwyer, 2024. "Tourism Degrowth and Resident Well-being," Journal of Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, Cinturs - Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, University of Algarve, vol. 12(3), pages 206-225.
    11. Doris Fuchs & Bernd Schlipphak & Oliver Treib & Le Anh Nguyen Long & Markus Lederer, 2020. "Which Way Forward in Measuring the Quality of Life? A Critical Analysis of Sustainability and Well-Being Indicator Sets," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 20(2), pages 12-36, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. David Fennell & Richard William Butler, 2025. "Perisseuo: The Enduring Myth of Sustainable Tourism," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Raúl Hernández-Martín & Noemi Padrón-Fumero & Hugo Padrón-Ávila, 2025. "The Local Turn in Tourism Statistics Within the Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism 2024," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-22, February.

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