Achieving the SDGs through cultural tourism: evidence from practice in the TExTOUR project

Tourism has become an important engine for development, especially in more remote areas. The potential of cultural tourism for sustainable tourism developing was explored in the H2020 funded TExTOUR project. A total of eight territories developed action plans based on their local heritage for sustainable tourism development. This article situates the actions created through the participatory TExTOUR approach are framed within larger global initiatives, to the Sustainable Development Agenda and the UNWTO pillars of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, to show how TExTOUR has contributed to sustainable development through the means of cultural tourism. The results of this article show that local communities can contribute to global goals through cultural tourism strategies. In particular, these areas show that cultural tourism can support, safeguard and enhance heritage and promote positive economic growth through job creation.