Dear Colleagues,

Travel experiences are generated by visited places, people met, and memories created by travellers, especially those related to landscapes, atmosphere, altitude, colour, ambience, tastings, smells, touches, listening or participating in a different lifestyle than usual. In this context, we consider that tourist destinations face the challenge of developing new combinations of places and products that are unique, attractive, and highly competitive for niche markets or for those with special interests, who want specific experiences. Visitors do not want to be mere observers. They prefer to be as active as possible and to be involved in the culture of the tourist destination, to know and feel, experiencing creative activities, smelling or tasting, immortalising or making movies, painting or acting as local artists. Destinations that have a competitive advantage and continuously create superior value are those that offer memorable experiences to the guests. As the modern consumer seeks new ways of being and new emotions to explore, their requests focus on cultural events and experiences, which lead to profound changes in innovative policies for managing tourist resources.

Today, the global society is more and more attracted by the authentic and the natural. People become interested in ecology and environment protection and focus on health issues. This change is based on the fact that modern consumers—who have gone through the universal fight against viruses—tend to prefer organisations that can implement healthy business models and strategies and that promote and ensure the safety and health governance. In the competition for the attention and trust of consumers, companies have started to base their approach on the exploitation of local resources and products, as authentic brands and services generate new jobs and welfare. In this context, the businesses in tourism also solve social problems, correct inequalities, and allow new knowledge transfers, satisfying curiosities and trying to strengthen loyalty or facilitate free promotion of less known areas by the tourists. From this perspective, the tourism of the future can become a tool for capitalising on local resources, of any kind. In this way, it can customise the offer of local communities through activities, actions, and strategies of local organisations that are dedicated to promoting the “health” of the environment and establishing the specific nature of the area and the behaviour, attitude, lifestyle, and motivation of host community members.

The objective of this Special Issue is to capture the latest development regarding the use of tourism as an element of local development in terms of enhancing natural and anthropogenic potential and promoting tangible and intangible heritage available in tourist destinations. It is also true that this requires the involvement of modern organisations, innovation tools, and trend forecasting. Moreover, a permanent control management over preserving the authenticity and uniqueness of each tourist destination is also needed.

Topics of interest for publication in this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following:

• Innovation and competitiveness in tourism;
• Local values and material and intangible tourist resources;
• Awareness of the use of local resources and orientation towards research and development;
• Local, regional, and national branding;
• Local/regional/national tourism and social responsibility;
• Local entrepreneurship in tourism and sustainable destinations;
• Innovation and sustainability in local tourist destinations;
• Sustainable capitalisation of local resources through tourism and through sustainable organisations that act in local communities;
• Tourism marketing strategies for new destination management organisations;
• Marketing local artisanal or gastronomic resources by including local tourist products;
• Tourism marketing in the educational environment: consequences of educating the young generation through teaching and research;

If this topic is of interest, you may send your manuscript now or up until the deadline. Submitted papers should not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

References:

Nistoreanu, P.; Aluculesei, A.-C.; Avram, D. Is Green Marketing a Label for Ecotourism? The Romanian Experience. Information 2020, 11, 389. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/info11080389

Nistoreanu, P.; Dinca, V.M; Glaser-Segura, D. Considerations on Becoming a World Heritage Site ‒ A Quantitative Approach. Amfiteatru Economic 2018, 20(47), pp.125-139. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.24818/EA/2018/47/202

Nistoreanu, Puiu. New Trends and Opportunities for Central and Eastern European Tourism. IGI Global, 2020. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-1423-8

Aluculesei, A.-C., Nistoreanu, P. Romanian Wellness Tourism – A Potential Solution with Positive Implications for the Effects of the Aging Population in the European Union. Amfiteatru Economic 2016, 18(Special Issue No. 10), pp. 767-780.

Avram, A.-C. "The Impact of Rural Tourism on Wellbeing: Romania's Case." New Trends and Opportunities for Central and Eastern European Tourism, edited by Puiu Nistoreanu, IGI Global, 2020, pp. 281-298. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-1423-8.ch015

Aluculesei, A.-C. Spa Tourism – A Comparative Analysis On Spain And Romania. Balneo Research Journal 2015, 6(3). http://0-dx-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.12680/balneo.2015.10106

Dabija, D.-C.; Bejan, B.-M.; Tipi, N. Generation X versus millennials communication behaviour on social media when purchasing food versus tourist services.  Marketing and Trade 2018, XXI(1), pp. 191-2015. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.15240/tul/001/2018-1-013.

Baicu, C.G.; Oehles-Sincai, I.M., State, O.; Popescu, D.,  Bioeconomy and Social Responsibility in The Sustainable Hotel Industry. Amfiteatru Economic 2019, 21(52), pp. 639-653. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.24818/EA/2019/52/639

Dima, A.-M.; Țuclea, C.-E.; Vrânceanu, D.-M.; Țigu, G. Sustainable Social and Individual Implications of Telework: A New Insight into the Romanian Labor Market. Sustainability 2019, 11, 3506. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su11133506

Lerario, A. The IoT as a Key in the Sensitive Balance between Development Needs and Sustainable Conservation of Cultural Resources in Italian Heritage Cities. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6952. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12176952.

Dr. Puiu Nistoreanu
Dr. Alina-Cerasela Aluculesei
Guest Editors

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• Innovation in tourism
• Tourism resources
• Marketing in tourism
• Sustainable activities
• Tourism
• Local resources
• Local development
• Branding
• National branding
• Tourist destinations