The integration of sustainability and the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) in the geographical teaching of tourism: a didactic and methodological proposal for University

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to address the increasingly interesting and topical issue of integrating sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into University teaching. The relevance of the issue is underpinned both by the global challenge of achieving the 2030 Agenda and the important role that higher education can play in this regard. For effective integration, it is essential to design curricula and programmers that enable the incorporation of sustainability content and competences in an adaptive way to different subject areas and professional sectors, as advocated by Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This paper focuses on the geographical study of tourism as a sector with great potential for this. The experience developed over the years in a real university context, as well as the application of the vision and strategies of Sustainable Tourism Pedagogy (STP), have been used to define a thematic itinerary for the geographic teaching of tourism through three fundamental subjects. The results, detailed through a conceptual, methodological and practical development, show the possibility of articulating a coherent thematic itinerary that effectively integrates the paradigm of sustainability and the SDGs in teaching development. It is proposed as an inspiring experience for tourism as well as for other fields of study and professional sectors.