Report on Borger’s Tourism Friendly Texas Certification and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Overview of Certification

The City of Borger has received official designation as a Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community from Travel Texas. This certification formally recognizes the city’s strategic commitment to enhancing its tourism sector as a means for sustainable economic growth, increased visitor attraction, and local employment support.

2.0 Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The initiative and its outcomes demonstrate a direct and significant alignment with several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The city’s achievement serves as a practical model for implementing global development objectives at the local level.

2.1 SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The certification directly advances SDG 8, which promotes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all. The program’s impact on this goal is evident through:

• Economic Stimulation: The explicit goal is to strengthen Borger’s local economy by capitalizing on tourism, contributing to the nearly $200 billion in economic impact generated by travel within Texas.
• Job Creation: A primary objective of the certification is to support and grow local jobs, aligning with the 1.3 million jobs sustained by the tourism industry statewide.
• Sustainable Tourism: The program positions tourism as a key driver of long-term economic development and resilience for the community. As noted by Governor Greg Abbott, communities are encouraged to pursue this certification “to grow local tourism and jobs.”

2.2 SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Borger’s efforts align with SDG 11, which focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, with a particular emphasis on protecting cultural heritage (Target 11.4).

• Cultural and Heritage Preservation: The strategy emphasizes promoting local heritage and preserving the city’s unique character. Tim Fennell, director of Travel Texas, noted the recognition reflects Borger’s work “to grow its tourism economy while preserving what makes it special.”
• Inclusive Community Development: The certification marks Borger’s commitment to being a “welcoming and engaging destination,” as stated by Public Engagement Coordinator Deidra Thomas. This fosters a vibrant and inclusive community for both residents and visitors.
• Promotion of Local Culture: The focus on “vibrant events” and “unique local attractions” strengthens community identity and safeguards local culture.

2.3 SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The achievement is a clear manifestation of SDG 17, which calls for strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development. The certification was accomplished through a multi-level partnership involving:

1. Local Community Leadership: The City of Borger’s municipal government and community leaders undertook the comprehensive certification process.
2. State Agency Collaboration: Travel Texas, a division of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism, provided the program framework, resources, and official designation.
3. Governmental Endorsement: The initiative received high-level support from Governor Greg Abbott and legislative backing from State Senator Kevin Sparks and State Representative Caroline Fairly, demonstrating a unified approach to regional development.

3.0 Program Implications and Future Outlook

The Tourism Friendly Texas Community program provides a scalable framework for other municipalities and non-profit organizations to advance sustainable development. By offering access to planning resources, state partnerships, and promotional opportunities, the program empowers communities to build resilient economies while protecting their cultural and natural assets, thereby contributing directly to the Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on Borger’s “Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community” designation connects to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on economic growth through tourism, job creation, community development, and partnerships.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  This goal is central to the article, which repeatedly emphasizes tourism as a tool for economic development and job creation. The text states the program recognizes Borger’s “commitment to strengthening its tourism economy, attracting visitors, and supporting local job growth.” It also notes that tourism generates a significant “annual economic impact and support[s] 1.3 million jobs across the state.”

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  This goal is addressed through the focus on making Borger a more vibrant, welcoming, and sustainable community by leveraging its unique cultural and natural assets. The article mentions the city’s efforts to “promote local attractions, heritage tourism,” and “preserving what makes it special,” which aligns with making human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The entire initiative described is a partnership. The “Tourism Friendly Texas Community” program is a collaboration between the state government (Travel Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office) and local entities. The article states the program is “open to local governments and nonprofit organizations” and provides “access to planning resources, state partnerships, and promotional opportunities,” highlighting the multi-stakeholder cooperation needed to achieve development goals.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s focus, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 8.9: Promote sustainable tourism

   Explanation: This target aims to “devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.” The article is entirely about such a policy—the “Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community” program. It directly links tourism to job creation (“supporting local job growth”) and the promotion of local culture (“promote local attractions, heritage tourism”).

2. Target 11.4: Protect the world’s cultural and natural heritage

   Explanation: This target focuses on strengthening “efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.” The article supports this by highlighting Borger’s promotion of “local heritage” and “outdoor recreation.” Tim Fennell’s comment about “preserving what makes it special” while growing the tourism economy directly reflects the goal of safeguarding cultural identity.

3. Target 17.17: Encourage effective partnerships

   Explanation: This target is to “encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships.” The program itself is a model of a public-public partnership between the state of Texas and the City of Borger. The article explicitly mentions that the certification provides access to “state partnerships” and is a collaborative effort involving “community leaders,” the “City of Borger,” and state officials.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• For Target 8.9 (Promote sustainable tourism):

  • Economic Impact of Tourism: The article explicitly mentions that “Travelers to and within Texas generate almost $200 billion in annual economic impact.” This serves as a direct indicator of tourism’s contribution to the economy (related to Indicator 8.9.1: Tourism direct GDP).
  • Number of Jobs in Tourism: The article states that tourism supports “1.3 million jobs across the state.” The program’s goal of “supporting local job growth” implies that an increase in local tourism jobs in Borger would be a key measure of success (related to Indicator 8.9.2: Number of jobs in tourism industries).

• For Target 11.4 (Protect cultural and natural heritage):

  • Existence of Policies and Programs: The “Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community” designation itself serves as an indicator. The certification “validates years of work to promote local attractions, heritage tourism.” The number of communities achieving this certification can be seen as a measure of the state’s effort to safeguard and promote local heritage.

• For Target 17.17 (Encourage effective partnerships):

  • Number of Participating Entities: The program is “open to local governments and nonprofit organizations.” An implied indicator of the partnership’s success and reach would be the number of cities and organizations that pursue and achieve the certification, demonstrating the growth of this public-public partnership model across Texas.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

Source: amarillo.com