What on earth does mental health have to do with the UN Sustainable Development Goals? According to the eminent institutional partners of the newly established “Countdown Global Mental Health”, just about everything.
SDG 3 specifies Good Health and Well-Being. The traditional definition of “health” has covered its physical aspects – obesity, diabetes, various chronic sicknesses, etc., etc. All impact on human life in many ways. So do mental health problems such as depression, hypertension, substance abuse, suicide, and more. The health and wellness sector, a huge money-spinner for travel & tourism, is set to enter a new era. Mental health issues cutting across all demographic age groups, and especially amongst young people, are also impacting on everything from workplace productivity to domestic violence. There is one key difference. While physical health deficiencies are in most cases apparent immediately, mental health handicaps can lie dormant for years before manifesting themselves in many often unpredictable ways. In terms of business potential, it remains to be seen whether or not people will seek mental health treatments abroad. More immediately, however, it may be necessary to gauge the status of mental health within travel & tourism itself.
The ceaseless pressures of dealing with demanding, often obnoxious tourists in what is a 24-hour industry with low pay-scales and challenging working conditions, can certainly exact a high mental toll. Perhaps some indicators of alcoholism, depression, hypertension, etc., amongst both blue and white-collar industry
employees would be a good start.
This issue of The Olive Tree picks up on the announcement of the Countdown Global Mental Health project and flags this emerging challenge, arguably for the first time in travel & tourism. Just as indicators are emerging rapidly to measure the environmental impact of travel & tourism, so too, will indicators appear to identify
mental health conditions and their debilitating impact across societies and communities. Of all the many dimensions of “sustainability”, good physical and mental health is perhaps the most critical. Senior executives are increasingly susceptible. So, too, are the legions of women who comprise the largest
segment of the industry work-force, often at first points of contact.
This edition completes the second year of publication of The Olive Tree. Collectively, the many articles included in the past 12 issues provide enormous food for thought on ways by which travel & tourism can advance the UN SDGs. I thank Jetwing Hotels for their consistent support.
