Tourism destination quality and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Tourism Agenda 2030

Purpose This paper aims to explain how improving tourism destination quality could contribute to addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at tourism destinations. Design/methodology/approach This paper synthesizes literature on sustainability, the SDGs and tourism destination quality and considers sustainability from the destination quality frame of reference. The approach starts with a critical analysis of principles of sustainability, as embodied in the 17 SDGs in terms of whether they are primarily concerned with “quantity” or “quality.” This is followed by examining potential links between destination quality and the SDGs using results of a recent empirical research on tourism destination quality (TDQ study). Findings This paper reveals that most of the SDGs are largely focused on quantity, while relatively few are concerned primarily with quality. Several TDQ dimensions, specifically “authentic,” “safe,” “well kept,” “affordable,” “novel,” “varied,” “relaxing,” “uncrowded,” “hospitable” and “informative,” and in addition, the holistic perspective of destination quality indicated in the TDQ study, are revealed as having strong links with the SDGs largely because of their concern with quality. This paper therefore proposes a positive relationship between enhancing destination quality and addressing the SDGs at tourism destinations. Research limitations/implications This paper calls for future empirical research to test the theoretical links between destination quality and SDGs established in this paper. Practical implications The use of the proposed framework for managing tourism destination quality and sustainability can help destination managers in enhancing destination quality and the attainment of the SDGs. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that adapts the extant theory on sustainability (represented by the SDGs) by introducing a destination quality frame of reference. The links between tourism destination quality and the SDGs have not been previously investigated. This paper indicates strong relationships between destination quality and several SDGs and thus extends the existing theory on sustainability by introducing the quality improvement perspective.