The campus of the National Institute of Tourism & Hospitality Management (NITHM) in close collaboration with the Vidzeme University of Applied Science, Latvia, will host the conference to trace new ways to achieve sustainable development in tourism and hospitality sectors.

The event will bring together delegations from the University of Africa, Nigeria; South Valley University- Luxor Branch, Egypt; Takoradi Technical University, Ghana; The Engineering and Pedagogical College of Dushanbe, Tajikistan and the University of Birjand, Iran, Telangana Today reported on Monday.

Invitees also include policymakers, practitioners and tourism stakeholders and entrepreneurs to debate the role, issues, and challenges of achieving sustainable development goals through tourism and hospitality, according to organizers.

The event is aimed to outline approaches and practices of sustainable development goals in tourism and hospitality-related fields and make it more responsible and visible to the public.

Tourism is often considered to be the world’s biggest service industry. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the total direct and indirect contribution of tourism to GDP was 10.2%, total employment was 9.6% in 2016, and is forecasted to rise by 11.4% of GDP and 11.1 % of total jobs in 2027.

International tourist arrivals have increased from 25 million globally in 1950 to 1,235 million in 2016. Tourism growth and development provides a range of diverse impacts. Tourism is considered to be a tool to achieve several sustainable development goals and it has the potential to alleviating poverty, providing employment, generating revenue, creating peace, strengthening cultural relations, promoting biodiversity conservation, preserving the heritage and fixing climate change.

The NITHM was established in 2004 as a sector-specific institute for education, management, consultancy and training in the field of tourism and hospitality management.