1. Introduction In the last six decades, tourism has been undergo- ing expansion and diversification processes, becom- ing one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy. The rapid growth of the tourist sector is a problem in terms of irrational use of resources, degradation of natural and cultural heritage, as well as negative social consequences. This grounds the need to change the paradigm of the development of tourism in the direction of rational and responsible use of recreational and tourist resources in accord- ance with the principles of sustainable development. It is tourism that combines all three components of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental), contributing to the preservation Journal of Geography, Politics and Society 2017, 7(4), 53–56 DOI 10.4467/24512249JG.17.038.7638 UNWTO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM OBSERVATORY IN UKRAINE: NATIONAL PRIORITIES Kostyantin Babov (1), Tetyana Bezverkhniuk (2), Iryna Babova (3), Ivan Liptuga (4) (1) SI “Ukrainian Research Institute of Medical Rehabilitation and Resort Therapy of Ministry of Health of Ukraine”, Lermontovsky lane 6, 65014, Odessa, Ukraine, e-mail: mrik@kurort.odessa.net (2) Odessa Regional Institute of Public Administration of National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine, Genuezka 22, 65009, Odessa, Ukraine, e-mail: tatiana.bezverkhniuk@gmail.com (corresponding author) (3) SI “Ukrainian Research Institute of Medical Rehabilitation and Resort Therapy of Ministry of Health of Ukraine”, Lermontovsky lane 6, 65014, Odessa, Ukraine, e-mail: babovairina@gmail.com (4) Advisor to the First Vice Primeminister-Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, Hrushevskoho 12/2, 01008, Kiev, Ukraine, e-mail: iptuga@gmail.com Citation Babov K., Bezverkhniuk T., Babova I., Liptuga I., 2017, UNWTO sustainable tourism observatory in Ukraine: natural priorities, Journal of Geography, Politics and Society, 7(4), 53–56. Abstract The article focuses on working out sustainable tourism indicators taking into account national priorities of Ukraine. Among na- tional priorities of tourism in Ukraine the varied and diverse natural healing resources (mineral waters, peloids (medical mud), climate, rump of estuaries and lakes, seawater, ozocerite, bischofite) and resort territories are the leading ones. Assessment of the state of natural healing resources and resort territories is suggested as a national priority among nine mandatory problem areas according to UNWTO recommendations for monitoring in observatories of sustainable tourism. Key words sustainable tourism observatory, national priorities, Ukraine, resorts, natural healing resources, indicators. Received: 12 August 2017 Accepted: 29 September 2017 Published: 29 December 2017 54 Kostyantin Babov, Tetyana Bezverkhniuk, Iryna Babova, Ivan Liptuga and protection of the environment, economic growth and social well-being. The beginning of the implementation of the principles of sustainable development in the tourism sector dates back to 1980–1990 (Butler, 1999), but these attempts were unsystematic and sporadic (Ткаченко, 2009). Taking into account the resolution of the XXI ses- sion of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2015 «International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development in 2017», the United Nations (UN) decided to proclaim 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Devel- opment (Resolution adopted by the General Assem- bly of United Nations 2015). The Decree of President of Ukraine dated January 12, 2015, No. 5/2015, ap- proved the Strategy of Sustainable Development of Ukraine 2020 in which tourism is in the list of priority programs (Указ Президента України…, 2015). The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 16 March 2017 No. 168-r approved the Strat- egy for the Development of Tourism and Resorts for the period up to 2026, which emphasized the need to adhere to the principles of sustainable tourism development (Розпорядження Кабінету Міністрів України…, 2017). The UN General Assembly in 2015 adopted a Sus- tainable Development Program until 2030 and set 17 Sustainable Development Goals aimed at com- bating poverty, protecting the environment and improving the quality of life of mankind (Transform- ing…, 2015): 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere. 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all wom- en and girls. 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employ- ment and decent work for all. 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster inno- vation. 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries. 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. 14. Conserve and sustainable use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable develop- ment. 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainable manage for- ests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sus- tainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclu- sive institutions at all levels. 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. UN and UNWTO highlight the priority of tourism in the implementation of goals 8, 12 and 14 (Tour- ism…, 2015), although it is fully certain that tour- ism plays a leading role in addressing all sustainable development goals. UNWTO’s initiative to realize the global goals of sustainable development was the establishment in 2004 of the International Net- work of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO), which monitors the economic, environmental and social impact of tourism at the level of the Destina- tions (UNWTO, International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories). There are currently 20 ob- servatories in the world: 8 in China, 1 in Greece, 1 in Mexico, 1 in Brazil, 5 in Indonesia, 1 in Croatia, 2 in the USA and 1 in New Zealand. The objectives of the observatories of sustainable tourism development are: 1. Integrated Approach to provide a framework for the systematic, timely and regular monitoring of resource-use and a better understanding of the impact of tourism. 2. Evidence to establish a strong foundation of tan- gible and structured data for well-informed deci- sion making. 3. Stakeholder Empowerment to actively engage local stakeholders in the measurement of risks, costs, impacts, limits and opportunities through an inclusive and participatory approach. 4. Network and Learn to exchange information for improved knowledge, collaboration, communi- cation and greater public accountability. 5. Performance Measurement to monitor and ad- vise on the implementation of sustainable devel- opment plans, policies and management actions. 6. Continuity to foster long-term commitment for regular monitoring. UNWTO sustainable tourism observatory in Ukraine: national priorities 55 Various indicators have been developed in the tourism sector for measuring and managing tourism development (Practical…, 2017; Indicators…, 2004) in the past decades. The possibility of a correct com- parison of results between destinations is the most often motive and the main purpose of these initia- tives (Torres-Delgado, Saarinen, 2014). According to UNWTO recommendations for monitoring observatories of sustainable tourism, nine mandatory problem areas need to be assessed: tourism seasonality, employment, destination eco- nomic benefits, governance, local satisfaction, en- ergy management, water management, waste water (sewage) management, solid waste management (International…, /no data/; Measuring…, 2017). However, each destination is a complex ecosystem with its own individual characteristics, which neces- sitates the development of indicators taking into ac- count national priorities. 2. Analysis of national priorities of Ukraine in UNWTO Sustainable Tourism Observatory We consider that monitoring of the status of resort tourist destinations and recreational resources is Ukraine’s National Priority for the Sustainable Tour- ism Observatory. In Ukraine are concentrated 47% of all healing mineral resources of Europe, which are located almost in all the regions of the country form- ing an incomparable tourist potential. According to the Law of Ukraine “On Resorts” healing mineral re- sources are mineral waters, peloids (medical mud), climate, rump of estuaries and lakes, seawater, ozo- cerite, bischofite (Закон України…, 2000). The resort complex of Ukraine is a large socially oriented industry of health and recreation, the main component of which are the largest reserves of rec- reational and healing mineral resources in Europe. It is a healing climate and recreational areas, mineral waters and peloids (medical mud) of all balneologi- cal types due to the country›s good geographical location, modern hydrosphere dynamics, geological structure, represented by the ancient tectonic form – the Ukrainian crystalline massif, huge hollows of several kilometres and active mountain formations. Almost all types of underground and surface mineral waters are found in Ukraine, both for internal and ex- ternal uses, among them there are such rare waters as the ones with specific organic substances («Naf- tusya», Truskavets resort, Lviv region), organic sub- stances and metasilic acid (Berezovsky mineral wa- ters, Kharkiv region); carbonic, ferruginous, arsenic, sulphide, radon, thermal waters, etc.; Sulphide, peat, sapropel, soponic peloids (medical mud), bischofite and ozocerite (Бабов et al. (eds.), 2009). Only in Ukraine there are estuary complexes of the north-western Black Sea and Azov region, the deposits of thermal (Zakarpattia, Kherson, Odessa region) and radon (Vinnytsia region) mineral wa- ters, ozokerite (Lviv region), bishofit (Poltava region), unique therapeutic climatic conditions, in particular Solotvin salt caves (Transcarpathian region), etc., which allows creating unique climatic, balneologi- cal, mud resorts. Significant are deposits of amber, which in other countries (Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Russia, Japan) is successfully used in the resort and tourist sector. Today the only institution that carries out fun- damental researches of natural healing resources of Ukraine, forms strategy of resort area development and provides sustainable development of tourism and resorts in Ukraine, is the State Institution “Re- search Institute of Medical Rehabilitation and Re- sorts of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” (Institute). It has been a number one scientific task of the Insti- tute during 90 years of its work. The main directions of the Institute›s activities are systematic scientific studies of the state of rec- reational territories, natural healing resources, work- ing out of complex programs for the resort areas development and sustainable tourism in Ukraine. In particular, expert-analytical support for conferring the status of state or local resorts (due to presence of unique natural healing resources in resort territory – state resorts, or common ones – local resort) to rec- reational resort territories (Бабов, Нікіпелова (eds.), 2010), monitoring the State Cadastre of natural heal- ing resources (Бабов et al. (eds.), 2017), medical and biological evaluation of natural healing resources (mineral waters, medical mud, climatic conditions, etc.) and their monitoring. The Institute has provid- ed more than 500 medical balneological conclusions on mineral waters, medical mud (peloids), ozocerite, bischofite, which is the basis for their therapeutic us- age and industrial packaging. With regard to the requirements of the Law of Ukraine «On Resorts» on the basis the Institute’s sci- entific researches as the state resorts were declared resort Khmelnik (Vinnitsa region), Berdyansk (Za- porozhye region), Saky (Crimea), Skadovsk (Kherson region), Mirgorod (Poltava region), Slavyansk (Do- netsk region); as the local resorts – Solotvyno (Trans- carpathian region) and Kosiv (Ivano-Frankivsk re- gion). The Institute identified prospective territories for the development as resort tourist destinations, in particular, in the Lviv region (Skhidnytsia, Truska- vets, Morshyn – state resorts, Nemirov, Lubin Velikiyt – local resorts), Volyn region (Shatsk – state resort), 56 Kostyantin Babov, Tetyana Bezverkhniuk, Iryna Babova, Ivan Liptuga Odessa region (Kuyalnik – state resort, Sergievka, Zatoka – local resorts), Mykolaiv region (Koblevoe – local resort), Kharkiv region (Lyubotin – local resort), Khmelnitsky region (Sataniv, Kamyanets-Podilskyi – local resorts), Kyiv region (Vorzel – local resort), etc. Resort and touristic orientation has a town-creating potential for the mentioned resort territories as well as increases their investment potential and attrac- tiveness (Іжа et al. (eds.), 2016). 3. Conclusions The creation of a Sustainable Tourism Observatory in “Research Institute of Medical Rehabilitation and Re- sorts of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine” fully meets the goals of sustainable development established by the United Nations and the activities of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to create a world- wide international network of sustainable tourism observatories (INSTO). The initiative was supported by the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Minis- try of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, National Tourism Organization with the Institute being the basis for the implementation of the Strat- egy for the Development of Tourism and Resorts in Ukraine taking into account the principles of sus- tainable tourism development. Diversity of natural healing resources and resort areas in Ukraine determine the priority of their as- sessment in the development of the sustainable tourism indicators for the Sustainable Tourism Ob- servatory. 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