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Sustainable Tourism: Issues, Debates and Challenges

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2010) | Viewed by 70830

Special Issue Editors

Department of Service Management and Service Studies, Lund University, Sweden; School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Sweden; Western Norway Research Institute
Interests: tourism; transportation; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Interests: tourism and human mobility; regional development and social/green marketing; human dimensions of global environmental change and conservation; environmental history, especially national park history & wilderness conservation; the use of tourism as an economic development and conservation mechanism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable Tourism is high on the agenda of tourists, tourism organizations and many tourism companies, which often have declared their willingness to move towards sustainability. While some companies and individuals have moved considerably in adjusting their behaviours to become more environmentally, economically and socially responsible, it however appears
clear that the tourism system as a whole is becoming less sustainable, both because of its overall rapid growth and of what has been called "veneer environmentalism" or "greenwash", i.e. the unwillingness to change travel behaviour (tourists) or to engage in operational and business behavioural changes that are more fundamental, i.e. going beyond measures that are profitable because of resource savings, branding benefits or improved customer relations (private and public components of tourism industry).

As sustainable tourism development has in many senses come to a stand-still within the overall systemic framework of contemporary economic behaviour and its underlying rationale of growth and financial return to a narrowly defined set of stakeholders, as well as an increasingly intensive energy- and resource demand, there is a need for a critical review of the challenges for sustainability in tourism, particularly in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. We encourage submission of articles critically discussing the implications of the growth paradigm in tourism; ecological economic approaches to sustainable tourism; psychology and consumer behaviour in tourism; the effectiveness of codes of conduct in sustainable tourism including the new focus on climate change mitigation; supply and value chain studies of sustainable tourism; corporate responsibility and CSR; tourism and appropriate development; comparative analyses of sustainable tourism development between countries and destinations; and the new geography of tourism under climate change mitigation scenarios.

Dr. Stefan Gössling
Dr. Michael C. Hall
Guest Editor

Keywords

  • sustainable tourism
  • tourism emissions
  • tourism impacts
  • ecotourism
  • environmental change
  • ecological economics
  • sustainable consumption

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

240 KiB  
Article
Ecotourism versus Mass Tourism. A Comparison of Environmental Impacts Based on Ecological Footprint Analysis
by Mehdi Marzouki, Géraldine Froger and Jérôme Ballet
Sustainability 2012, 4(1), 123-140; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su4010123 - 10 Jan 2012
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 18202
Abstract
Academic and policy interest in ecological footprint analysis has grown rapidly in recent years. To date, however, the application of ecological footprint analysis to tourism has been limited. This article aims to discuss the potential of ecological footprint analysis to assess sustainability in [...] Read more.
Academic and policy interest in ecological footprint analysis has grown rapidly in recent years. To date, however, the application of ecological footprint analysis to tourism has been limited. This article aims to discuss the potential of ecological footprint analysis to assess sustainability in tourism. It is about a comparison of the global environmental impacts of different forms of tourism in southern countries where tourism is a major source of foreign exchange earnings. It illustrates how an ecotourism destination has a larger ecological footprint than a “mass” tourism destination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism: Issues, Debates and Challenges)
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9129 KiB  
Article
The Emerging Global Tourism Geography—An Environmental Sustainability Perspective
by Paul Peeters and Martin Landré
Sustainability 2012, 4(1), 42-71; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su4010042 - 28 Dec 2011
Cited by 58 | Viewed by 19086
Abstract
The current development of tourism is environmentally unsustainable. Specifically, tourism’s contribution to climate change is increasing while other sectors are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. This paper has two goals: reveal the main structural cause for tourism’s emission growth and show the consequences [...] Read more.
The current development of tourism is environmentally unsustainable. Specifically, tourism’s contribution to climate change is increasing while other sectors are reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. This paper has two goals: reveal the main structural cause for tourism’s emission growth and show the consequences thereof for (mitigation) policies. It is reasoned that the main cause for tourism’s strong emission growth is the time-space expansion of global tourism behavior. Contemporary tourism theory and geography fail to clearly describe this geographical development, making it difficult to understand this expansion and develop effective policies to mitigate environmental impacts. Therefore, this paper explores some elements of a ‘new tourism geography’ and shows how this may help to better understand the causes of the environmentally unsustainable development of tourism with respect to climate change and devise mitigation policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism: Issues, Debates and Challenges)
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451 KiB  
Article
From Farm to Rural Hostel: New Opportunities and Challenges Associated with Tourism Expansion in Daxi, a Village in Anji County, Zhejiang, China
by Lucas Gutierrez Rodriguez, Manuel Ruiz Perez, Xiaosheng Yang and Geriletu
Sustainability 2011, 3(1), 306-321; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su3010306 - 24 Jan 2011
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 11174
Abstract
China has become one of the leading international tourism destinations, ranking third at a world level. A fast expanding domestic tourism offers new development opportunities to rural areas. Our results from Daxi Village of Anji County, a popular tourist destination in East China, [...] Read more.
China has become one of the leading international tourism destinations, ranking third at a world level. A fast expanding domestic tourism offers new development opportunities to rural areas. Our results from Daxi Village of Anji County, a popular tourist destination in East China, show that farmers are seizing this opportunity that currently represents 27% of total household income. The better educated young generation is benefitting most, being particularly relevant for women that can develop off-farm activities around the family hostels (nongjiale) and tourist shops. Visitor’s general satisfaction is high, although there is some concern for environmental quality and overcrowding due to the very high number of tourists that come to the village. Our model suggests that tourism will keep growing at least for another decade, which will strain the area, posing potentially severe environmental problems and challenging the long term sustainability of the tourism development model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism: Issues, Debates and Challenges)
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245 KiB  
Article
Destination Marketing Organizations and Climate Change—The Need for Leadership and Education
by Rachel Dodds
Sustainability 2010, 2(11), 3449-3464; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su2113449 - 02 Nov 2010
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 8752
Abstract
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) operate at many levels ranging from the national to the municipal and have evolved over the years to respond to the geographical and political realities that are associated with tourism supply. Alongside providing information to potential visitors, DMOs work [...] Read more.
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) operate at many levels ranging from the national to the municipal and have evolved over the years to respond to the geographical and political realities that are associated with tourism supply. Alongside providing information to potential visitors, DMOs work to make a destination attractive by showcasing its unique aspects and attractions. As the appeal of destinations, cost of doing business and the destination brand may be affected by the possible effects of climate change, this study aims to identify opportunities and threats to municipal and provincial/territorial DMOs and their members as well as identify measures they are undertaking to address the potential impacts. A study conducted of Canada’s provincial and municipal large DMOs was conducted in 2009. This research found that awareness of climate change in Canada’s tourism industry is increasing, but more efforts must be undertaken to mitigate climate change. To address climate change and tourism, this paper suggests doing three things: (a) DMOs need to demonstrate leadership about climate change education and mitigation to all their members; (b) government policy and action are needed to provide incentives for industry to address climate change; and (c) industry members require further education to take the steps necessary mitigate risk and to adapt. The internet has changed the DMOs’ roles and how they provide information to the consumer; as such, they have been presented with an opportunity to take on new roles as educational and marketing providers. This paper will outline in the current shifts among Canadian DMOs and will discuss the key issues that are applicable to DMOs worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism: Issues, Debates and Challenges)
285 KiB  
Article
Identifying and Structuring Values to Guide the Choice of Sustainability Indicators for Tourism Development
by Marta Chávez-Cortés and José Alberto Alcántara Maya
Sustainability 2010, 2(9), 3074-3099; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su2093074 - 17 Sep 2010
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 9680
Abstract
In Mexico, the National Trust for Tourism Promotion (FONATUR) needs to lead development of Integrally Planned Tourist Centers (IPC) towards sustainability. As the development of these IPCs leads to changes in local communities and their environment, it is necessary to define how to [...] Read more.
In Mexico, the National Trust for Tourism Promotion (FONATUR) needs to lead development of Integrally Planned Tourist Centers (IPC) towards sustainability. As the development of these IPCs leads to changes in local communities and their environment, it is necessary to define how to establish a path towards sustainability and how to measure progress towards that goal. The objective of this study is to contribute toward identifying the main stakeholder’s values, defining sustainability indicators at a local level, and to discuss their adequacy in the context of tourism development. The study was performed in a Mexican community facing its probable inclusion in tourism development and special attention was given to the values of stakeholders in defining which objectives to monitor. Using Value-Focused Thinking as a framework, a series of interviews were analyzed and the opinions were organized in a tree of values, encompassing environmental, economic, social and political/institutional aspects. A set of indicators associated with these objectives was subsequently proposed. This information may serve as a guide to design and monitor plans that are more appealing from a sustainability perspective and as an aid in the identification of future information needs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism: Issues, Debates and Challenges)
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