SD is about future development—that is, working for our future by living in the present. The primary goal of SD is to provide good conditions for everyone to fulfill their needs (Diesendorf, 2000). There is a strong relationship between social, economic, and environmental sustainability (Khan et al., 2022), and these three relations make a stronger case for the SD (Omair et al., 2023). Governmental and non-governmental organizations are trying to adopt and incorporate three key pillars of SD (i.e., economic, social, and environmental) in their strategic decision-making, but the lack of proper arrangements, planning, and policies are the reasons for its failure (Abubakar, 2022; Chowdhury & Kabir, 2023). Although the concept of SD has attracted global attention in recent years, it still requires more work to secure the future of coming generations.

Notably, unsustainable growth can create negative results for a community, country, and globally, which is why the UN has launched the SDG framework. The UN emphasized that all member countries should seek to achieve the SDGs and save natural and environmental resources for future generations (Pachot & Patissier, 2023). The SDGs (2015–2030) were planned by the UN as the new and advanced set of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2000–2015). The 17 SDGs are related to almost every field of life on land or underwater, however, each of the SDGs provides a different direction: Goal 1 focuses on reducing poverty; Goal 2, zero hunger; Goal 3, good health; Goal 4, quality education; Goal 5, gender equality or equal rights for men and women. Clean water and sanitation are a key part of the environment and very crucial for health (Akbar et al., 2020), and these issues belong to Goal 6. Goal 7 is related to energy resources, particularly affordable and clean energy. Growth in the economic assets necessary for every country is listed as Goal 8. Industry innovation and infrastructure related to such innovation is Goal 9. Goal 12 is related to responsible consumption and production, Goal 10 to reducing inequalities (i.e., equality for all humans), and Goal 11 focuses on sustainable cities and communities. Goal 13 spotlights climate action focused on clean zero polluted climates, Goal 14 concerns life underwater, and Goal 15 centers on life on land that is healthy and safe for all humans and species. Goal 16 emphasizes peace, justice, and strong institutions, and Goal 17 highlights the need for partnerships for the goals. These 17 Goals (Fig. 1) have169 targets that aim to tackle multiple challenges faced by humans (Nilsson, Griggs, & Visbeck, 2016).

Fig. 1.

Sustainable development goals (source: www.un.org).

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Tourism is a multibillion-dollar global industry that creates jobs, increases the financial assets of businesses, and supports a healthy environment locally and globally (Lorde et al., 2011). Tourism is an essential economic sector and the source of foreign replacement incoming for some developing and developed countries (UNWTO, 2010). There are two main types of tourism: domestic and international. The movement of tourists within the same country is domestic tourism, while international tourism refers to the flow of tourists to other countries. Since the 1970s, tourism-related studies have gained a unique place among academic disciplines and have been elevated to the status of a major academic discipline.

The tourism industry has adopted sustainability strategies designed to manage its impact on economies, societies, and the environment. In 1990, the UNWTO Conference on Sustainable Tourism formalized the concept of sustainable tourism development (UNWTO & UNEP, 2005) as an activity that encompasses the comprehensive consideration of tourism's present and future implications on the economy, society, and environment. It involves addressing the needs of various stakeholders, including (i) tourists, (ii) the industry, (iii) the environment, and (iv) the host communities. ST has the potential to improve economic growth while also improving people's quality of life, supporting ecological security, cultural diversity, and peace on earth. It can also contribute to all SDGs in the economic, social, and environmental domains, either directly or indirectly (UNWTO, 2015). Likewise, the framework of SDGs provide a secure and sustainable business model for the tourism industry and support its future development.

Tourism has a precise function to play in achieving “decent work and economic growth” (SDG 8), “responsible consumption and production” (SDG 12), and “life below water” (SDG 14), (Rasoolimanesh et al., 2023; WTO & UNDP, 2017). The possibility of tourism contributing to the attainment of the SDGs has been debated in various tourism studies. For instance, one study examined the significance of tourism for Southeast Asia's economic development, as well as its ability to contribute to the attainment of SDGs such as poverty reduction (Trupp & Dolezal, 2020). Gender equality is also linked to ST; however, the first step in promoting gender equality through tourism is the reinterpretation of current tourism development policies (Alarcon & Cole, 2019; Seyfi et al., 2022). According to Trupp and Dolezal (2020), it is more difficult to appreciate how ST connects with and contributes to other SDGs, given that tourism's role in the past has not always been caring in terms of health, education, and gender empowerment. According to the UNWTO and UNDP (2017), utilizing tourism's beneficial contribution to SDGs and mitigating the sector's bad effects requires strong collaboration and vital action by all tourism stakeholders.

The goal of this study is to review, synthesize, and advance the extant literature on SDGs in tourism scholarship. Although literature reviews on this topic do exist, our review is distinct from previous reviews in several ways (see Table 1).

To cover all of the relevant literature on SDGs published in tourism journals, we carried out the systematic procedures and protocols of SLR (see Fig. 2). First, we selected the Web of Science (WoS) database to search and identify all relevant articles for answering the RQs of this study. This database has been included in recent SLRs (e.g., Khizar et al., 2022) because it covers a wide range of journals in the fields of business management, tourism, and sustainability. Next, to search for the articles to be included in this review, we initially developed an exhaustive list of relevant keywords by searching on Google Scholar and manually analyzing the titles and abstracts of the first 100 results. We then discussed our keywords list with the two academic experts on ST and developed the following keyword string for our search execution in the WoS database: tour* AND (“sustainable development goal*” OR sdg* OR UNSDG* OR “global agenda” OR “agenda 2030” OR “agenda-2030”).

Fig. 2.

Data collection process.

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For the purpose of data collection, an initial keyword search was executed in WoS on December 31, 2021, to reveal all of the potentially relevant articles published in academic journals. This process yielded 270 potentially relevant articles to be included in our review. Given the specificity of the RQs and ensuring the quality of the identified articles, the following inclusion-exclusion criteria were developed: (i) only peer-reviewed articles, (ii) published in the English language, and (iii) published in any of the A* or A category tourism journals listed in ABDC. Using these filters, 112 research papers related to the topic of this research were identified. Next, two authors (UK and SK) independently performed a title and abstract analysis of each of the identified article to ensure their relevance to the RQs of this review. At this stage, six irrelevant articles were discarded and all the remaining (n=106) studies were downloaded for in-depth reading and full-text analysis. Given the aim and scope of this review, we decided to focus only on empirical articles while excluding all non-empirical articles (e.g., theoretical, conceptual, and literature reviews) in our thematic analysis. Finally, we reached a consensus in the selection of 106 studies for research profiling and a final sample 88 articles to be included in this study for further review and analysis.

The data were analyzed in three stages: (i) descriptive quantitative analysis, (ii) thematic content analysis, and (iii) critical analysis. To begin, descriptive analysis of all of selected articles (n=88) was conducted to highlight the general features and research profile. Following that, content analysis was performed to categorize the current literature into several topics that developed throughout the assessment of tourism and sustainable development research papers to craft different themes and sub-themes. Finally, we conducted a critical review and analysis to identify gaps and limitations in existing tourism scholarship to suggest a theme-based future research agenda.

This section provides the quantitative descriptive statistics describing the sample selected in this review in terms of publication timeline, key journals, research methods, geographical contexts, and the SDGs that were the focus of the selected papers.

Fig. 3 illustrates the trend of research on SDGs and ST. The year 2016 was the starting point, as the first paper on this topic was published on the topic; however, it is evident that limited research was available in the first three years following an increasing trend of scholarly publications from 2019 onward. To improve consistency, the research was limited to the published studies and the period January 2016 to February 2022.

Fig. 3.

Timeline of published research papers.

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Our findings revealed 35 % non-empirical and 65 % empirical research studies (Fig. 4), of which 38 % used quantitative, 38 % qualitative, and 26 % mixed methods (Fig. 5).

Fig. 4.

Types of research articles.

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Fig. 5.

Methods used in selected studies.

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Fig. 6 illustrates the journals selected for the adaptation of reviewed papers. Journal of Sustainable Tourism (n=56) and Tourism Management Perspectives (n=11) appeared with the highest frequency.

Fig. 6.

Journals publishing 2 or more articles on the topic.

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Following recent systematic review studies (e.g., Khizar et al., 2021), we conducted thematic content analysis and synthesized extant literature into key themes, as follows: (i) poverty alleviation and community development; (ii) peace, justice, and reduction of inequalities; (iii) partnerships; (iv) governance and administrations; (v) environmental sustainability and climate action; and (vi) modern and quality education.

After presenting a comprehensive literature synthesis, we conducted a critical review and analysis of the extant literature to highlight theme-based knowledge gaps and limitations. Doing so, the present review provide future research directions by developing and posing RQs for further progression in this field of study (see Tables 2, 3 below).

This review offers several implications for theory. First, it identified and synthesized the fragmented literature on the effective role of the tourism sector on the road toward sustainable development. In doing so, the present study classified the existing literature into key themes to develop a comprehensive knowledge base on this topic. Second, a critical evaluation of the extant literature was presented to identify knowledge gaps and limitations and to set future research agendas. In particular, we have suggested specific RQs to guide future researchers who may advance the debate on ST and SDGs. Third, our review findings highlighted the need for integrating various theoretical frameworks and models from other disciplines (e.g., complexity theory, system theory, stakeholder theory, and institutional theory). This approach can provide a more comprehensive and holistic theoretical framework for analyzing the complex dynamics within the context of ST. Moreover, the present study also highlights the significance of advancing sustainability related theories in tourism research to address emerging challenges and knowledge gaps. To this end, there exist a potential to developing, testing, and refining theories related to behavioral change, transformations, resilience, and social justice within the context of ST. We postulate that these advances will contribute to a deeper theoretical understanding of how tourism can effectively contribute to advancing the achievement of the SDGs.

This study also serves as a guide for practitioners and policymakers by providing a detailed overview of the strategic role and the current progression of the tourism sector in the achievement of SDGs. Our review findings may also assist governments and policymakers in developing and deploying effective strategies in ST development in various ways. First, the present study highlight the importance of fostering collaboration among various stakeholders (e.g., governments, local communities, businesses, and NGOs) to achieve ST outcomes. Practitioners can utilize our findings to facilitate multi-stakeholder partnerships, encourage community participation, and enhance cooperation for SD. Second, this review offers valuable insights for policymakers and destination managers on how to align tourism strategies and policies with the attainment of the SDGs. They can use the identified best practices, case studies, and policy frameworks for the development and deployment of ST policies. Third, our findings also highlight the role and significance of education and awareness in promoting ST practices. In this regard, practitioners can develop educational campaign and programs targeting tourists, local communities, and industry professionals to enhance their understanding of ST principles and practices. Finally, our review underscores the importance of robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the progress and impacts of tourism on SDGs. It provides valuable insights for developing the monitoring and evaluation systems to track the economic, social, and environmental outcomes of tourism activities.

Although this review provides several key insights into theory and practice, it is not free from limitations. Readers should interpret the findings of this review in light of the following limitations. First, we only selected articles published in tourism journals listed in the WoS database. Studies published in other journals might have been omitted. Second, we restricted our article search based on specific keywords, and there is a possibility that some potentially relevant studies may thus have been overlooked. A further limitation is the exclusion of research papers written in languages other than English. Finally, the thematic content analysis in this paper only focused on empirical studies while excluding books, literature reviews, and conceptual papers.