The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) bring together a large coalition of partners with the common goal of reducing the greatest threats to people and our planet, including poverty and social and environmental challenges. The first five-year review showed that, at the present pace of change, the ambitious goals set for 2015 would not be met. Spearheaded by the UN, the attainment of MDGs requires both public interventions and private sector leadership. While tourism is contributing in multiple ways, this paper explores why it can, and should, do more. It also suggests how resolving challenges linked to achieving MDGs will resolve tourism development bottlenecks.
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