Meta-Analysis of Tourism Sustainability Research: 2019–2021

Sustainability in tourism, hospitality, and leisure is a long-standing topic of growing interest. Research in the field of tourism has accelerated over the past decade. The goal of this meta-analysis is to categorize recent research in tourism sustainability to identify patterns and trends, which could help us understand where the field is currently conducting research and where more work may be needed. Over 800 relevant articles published in major tourism journals during a three-year period (2019–2021) were included in the analysis; however, despite the increase in volume of published tourism sustainability research, this quantity was less than 4% of all publications in the same journals. Four over-arching pillars of sustainability research themes emerged (social, economic, ecological, and institutional) with numerous sub-categories within each. The majority of tourism sustainability research occurred in the social and economic arenas. Much more research is needed in the other three categories. The greater part of the recent advances in tourism sustainability appears to be driven by smalland medium-sized tourism firms. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism sustainability is only beginning to be understood. Tourism business leaders have an opportunity to strengthen and integrate their use of sustainability as they work to rebuild consumer trust in


Introduction
Sustainability is a topic that has been increasingly considered and studied by most disciplines in academic research. The field of tourism is no exception. Sustainability has been and continues to be explored in a variety of tourism contexts. The term sustainability has various meanings to different governments, companies, locations, and people [1] and has been used in many different ways in tourism research.
To understand the extent of sustainability research in the field of tourism, the recent tourism literature was reviewed to identify and classify the trends in investigations. While concerns of the global pandemic have significantly affected tourism, these concerns have not lessened the important research related to social, institutional, economic, or environmental sustainability in the field of hospitality and tourism. The central questions for this research effort were designed to address which of the many aspects of sustainability research have received recent attention in the hospitality and tourism literature. What follows next is a concise overview of what sustainable tourism is and a discussion on each of the four pillars of sustainability, including ecological (including environmental), economic (including financial), social (including cultural and human), and institutional (including governance) along with their associated research trends.

Sustainability under Each of the Four Pillars of Sustainability
While each of the four pillars are linked to one another, and often integrated, considering each as unique in terms of definition helps to clarify each of their respective foci. For the purposes of this study, the review of literature was initially organized under the four pillars of (a) social (including cultural and human), (b) institutional (including governance), (c) ecological (including environmental), and (d) economical (including financial).
Previous research shows that the social pillar includes cultural and human elements. Social sustainability is "concerned with the human side of sustainability, including human rights (e.g., child labour and freedom of association), health and safety (e.g., safe working conditions and training), and community (e.g., charitable, philanthropic initiatives)" [15]. Of the four pillars, work on the social pillar is the newest and most recently added to the literature. The social pillar's interest is widening as an understanding of the risks and vulnerability of humans and communities in the face of growing environmental issues and concerns related to culture, human rights, wellbeing, natural disasters, etc. has come to the forefront [16].
Over the past several decades, various attempts have been made by scholars to define institutional sustainability, but there is still little consensus [17]. The institutional pillar also contains elements of governance; often, this pillar is referred to as political-institutional. This pillar includes "institutional orientations (norms) and institutional mechanisms (formal systems of rules and procedures, whether administrative, social, political or legal" [6]. According to Kayaga, et al. [17], one definition of institutional sustainability is " . . . a process of internalizing normative and regulative structures and mechanisms that serve to reinforce system dynamics to produce and maintain desired outcomes that satisfy collective goals" (p. 16). As populations grow along with the increases in tourism engagement, more widespread oversight is being called for, and more institutions are focusing on their role in sustainable tourism. According to Biermann et al. [18], "Innovative research is needed also to analyse political options to govern sustainable development-taking into account not only political effectiveness and efficiency but also global and national justice and equity and the need to bridge levels of analysis and disciplinary assumptions, methods and foci" (p. 279).
Next, the environmental pillar has been studied with some frequency partly due to the many ecological issues facing various communities throughout the world [19]. With roots reaching back to the early 1900s, it became a major part of the sustainability conversation in the 1970s and 1980s [8]. Ecotourism has played a central role in promoting the sustainable development of tourism. Environmental sustainability has intensified in tourism in recent years due to greater globalization, technological advances, and a greater focus on conservation and environmental conditions [20].
Finally, the last pillar is the economic pillar, which also includes financial elements. Sustainability has often been connected to economic activities [7]. The challenges with this pillar are grounded in the insufficient agreement of what constitutes economic sustainability. The UNWTO [21] stated that "economic sustainability addresses long-term viability of economic operations, fairness and equity of benefits distribution, employment and incomeearning opportunities, and poverty alleviation." The UNEP and UNWTO's [21] definition included "concerns with economic prosperity at different levels of society, cost effectiveness and economic efficiency, and vitality of tourism enterprises." Further, Pitelis [22] contended that there is a lack of clarity on the measurements used to define economic sustainability. Sustainable tourism and the economic pillar have played a pivotal role in tourism.
Sustainable tourism has been and will continue to play a major role on the world stage. The research on sustainability and tourism can provide perspective on trends related to topics being investigated in each of the four pillars, how topics have changed in recent times, and areas of opportunity for future exploration.

Materials and Methods
A meta-analysis of tourism literature was conducted for articles published in English between 2019 and 2021. When conducting a meta-analysis, a variety of approaches to journal selection for article review can be taken. According to Akcayir and Akcayir [23], examples include selecting a defined set of articles from important journals within the field or selecting all articles published within the leading journals of the field [24].
The SCImago journal ranking system is publicly available information that includes the journal's title and scientific indicators about that system developed from the information contained in the Scopus database. These indicators can be used to assess and analyze scientific domains, such as tourism. The academic community recognizes the SCImago journal rankings because of its ability to provide comprehensive coverage of available resources. The top 100 SCImago-ranked tourism, leisure, and hospitality management journals were initially considered for this study [25]. Three researchers independently reviewed these 100 journals in this category for consideration and inclusion in this study. The journals were selected by cross-referencing each journal's focus and scope with their respective relevance to this study's research objective of reviewing current sustainability research in the tourism industry. The three lists were compared, and any differences were discussed and reconciled until consensus was achieved about which journals to include in this study.
A total of 38 of the top 100 ranked hospitality and tourism journals were eventually identified and included in this study (see Table 1). Of note, over 50% of the journals selected for this meta-analysis were ranked higher than 40 on the 100 SCImago ranked journals in this category [25]. One additional non-tourism specific journal, Sustainability, was included due to its distinct relevance to the research objectives and its frequent reference within tourism sustainability research articles in predominantly tourism industry journals. When reviewing the journals used by many of the tourism sustainability authors, the journal Sustainability was frequently cited. While a scattered few other non-tourism journals were occasionally cited, the pattern of citing Sustainability was evident. Thus, it was included in this study.  Five primary criteria were used to determine the articles to be included in this metaanalysis. They were: (1) peer-reviewed only, (2) published in English, (3) published during the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, (4) the tourism industry was the research setting, and (5) articles were identified using the keywords "sustainability" and "tourism". An initial screening was conducted to establish the broad parameters for the meta-analysis.
During the three-year period identified for this study, the 39 journals collectively published a total of 36,522 articles on various topics related to the hospitality and tourism industry (see Table 1). Following the search criteria, the number of articles identified using the key word "sustainability" yielded 9246 articles, or 25.3% of the articles published in these 39 journals over the three-year period (see Figure 1). Advancing the search criteria by adding "tourism" to "sustainability", the number of articles found was 1492, or 4.1% of the total articles published during the three-year period in the targeted journals for this study (see Figure 1). Next, each of the 1492 article abstracts were reviewed independently by multiple researchers using a developed protocol for inclusion. The protocol included the following: (1) article must pertain to the tourism industry, and (2) sustainability must be the focus of the article. Two rounds of independent review for inclusion were conducted with a subset of the potential articles, with an initial interrater reliability of 82%. After a discussion and further review, the round two interrater reliability was 91%. A total of 881 articles were identified for inclusion in this study's protocol. Five primary criteria were used to determine the articles to be included in this metaanalysis. They were: (1) peer-reviewed only, (2) published in English, (3) published during the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, (4) the tourism industry was the research setting, and (5) articles were identified using the keywords "sustainability" and "tourism". An initial screening was conducted to establish the broad parameters for the meta-analysis.
During the three-year period identified for this study, the 39 journals collectively published a total of 36,522 articles on various topics related to the hospitality and tourism industry (see Table 1). Following the search criteria, the number of articles identified using the key word "sustainability" yielded 9246 articles, or 25.3% of the articles published in these 39 journals over the three-year period (see Figure 1). Advancing the search criteria by adding "tourism" to "sustainability", the number of articles found was 1492, or 4.1% of the total articles published during the three-year period in the targeted journals for this study (see Figure 1). Next, each of the 1492 article abstracts were reviewed independently by multiple researchers using a developed protocol for inclusion. The protocol included the following: (1) article must pertain to the tourism industry, and (2) sustainability must be the focus of the article. Two rounds of independent review for inclusion were conducted with a subset of the potential articles, with an initial interrater reliability of 82%. After a discussion and further review, the round two interrater reliability was 91%. A total of 881 articles were identified for inclusion in this study's protocol. Finally, a meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the 881 articles regarding year published, the geography of data collection, research approach utilized, and main topic of the article. To complete the meta-analysis, three researchers manually reviewed each article's content and categorization to ensure accuracy, depending on the context (year, geography, research approach, or main topic). Using the printed date of publication, the Finally, a meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the 881 articles regarding year published, the geography of data collection, research approach utilized, and main topic of the article. To complete the meta-analysis, three researchers manually reviewed each article's content and categorization to ensure accuracy, depending on the context (year, geography, research approach, or main topic). Using the printed date of publication, the year published was sorted into three categories: 2019, 2020, or 2021. Lists were compared and any differences were discussed and reconciled so that consensus was achieved.
Each article's research geography was sorted into six overall regions and included (1) North America, (2)  nition were used as an initial taxonomy process. The pillars included social, institutional, ecological, and economic. An "Other" pillar was also used for topics that did not fit clearly into one of the four overarching pillars. Researchers independently then examined the articles within each overarching pillar and sub-categorized them to further the understanding and definition of each major pillar. Any differences in researcher categorization were carefully discussed and reconciled.

Results
This study conducted a meta-analysis of 881 articles pertaining to sustainability in the tourism industry. Articles for this study were published in 2019-2021. The number of sustainability and tourism articles that were published in these journals noticeably increased in each subsequent year (193 articles in 2019, 325 in 2020, and 363 in 2021). Listed in Table 2 is a summary of each article's main characteristics.

Geographic Location of Articles
Articles were further analyzed by geographic location of the article's place of inquiry (see Table 2). A total of six overall regions were identified with each region having numerous countries within. The six broad regions included (1) North America, (2) South America, (3) Europe, (4) Asia, (5) Africa and Australia/New Zealand, and (6) Other. Articles without a specific country/regional focus or global-scale analyses were placed in the "Other" category." The articles in the "Other" category were evaluated for geographic affiliation, and no concentration or pattern was found. The majority of research was conducted in the European region (n = 406), followed by Asia (n = 201) and Africa/Australia (n = 119).

Research Approach of Articles
Each article was then examined to identify the research approach utilized. Four main categories were used to categorize the articles method of inquiry, including qualitative data (which included case studies, interviews, and observations), quantitative data, mixed methods (a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches), and conceptual/review articles (papers without empirical components). Of the 881 articles analyzed, there were

Main Topic of Articles
Each of the studies analyzed investigated sustainability on a variety of topics within the tourism industry. The four overarching pillars included social; institutional; economic; and ecological. An "Other" category was also used for topics that did not fit well into one of the four overarching pillars. Within the overarching pillars, numerous sub-categories emerged to further provide context of the overarching pillars. Within the Social pillar, 300 articles were identified. Within this pillar, 10 Table 3).

Discussion
Within the three-year period investigated, 2019 had the least (21.9%) number of publications. The remaining two years trended upward in quantity, publishing more articles year by year. This could be an indicator that sustainability is starting to take root in the tourism industry and academia alike. However, the geographic regions represented in the article data analysis found limited publications of studies coming from North and South America. European countries had the highest number of articles published, which could speak to their robust interest of sustainability within the tourism industry.
Research methods were fairly equally distributed between qualitative (36.7%) and quantitative (41.8%), followed by mixed methods and conceptual articles at 16% and 5.6%, respectively. Qualitative methods such as interviews, observations, and focus groups were used to explore more nuanced approaches, behaviors, attitudes, and case studies within the context of tourism sustainability. Quantitative methods, including surveys, observations, and secondary data (e.g., marketing reports), were used to examine topics such as the willingness to pay, operational practices, and strategic planning of sustainability.
Of the 881 articles reviewed and organized into the four main pillars, the majority fell into the social category (n = 300), followed by economic (n = 277) and ecological (n = 181), with institutional having the least (n = 107). Generally, this reflects the perceived importance of the social and economic aspects of tourism sustainability. The following sections provide a more detailed examination of the contents of each major pillar.

Social
Within the Social pillar, ten categories emerged around various topics. The dominating category within this pillar pertained to the assessment of tourists' knowledge, behaviors toward, and education of sustainability concepts. Kantenbacher, Hanna, Miller, Scarles, and Yang [26] explored tourists' air travel behavior dependent on various sustainable practices. Meanwhile, another article investigated tourists' expectations of and attitudes towards whether the destination meets tourists' demand for sustainable practices [27]. Yet another article found that perceived positive impacts of backpacking predict backpackers' sustainable behavior; therefore, backpackers engage in sustainable behaviors to reaffirm such perceptions [28].
The Food, Events, and Festivals category explored sustainability practices and their impact within the tourism industry. Interest in events and festivals continues to be a trend in academic research, which also reflects their importance in the contemporary tourism industry. Various areas of the tourism industry are covered from restaurants [29], to festivals including multi-cultural [30] and themed [31]. Sustainable wine tourism [32], food tourism [33], as well as food and wine tourism [34] were recurring content from this category.
Collaboration and Social Impact discussed forms of communication, co-creation and the tools used to connect individuals concerning sustainability and its impact. The exploration of sustainable practices through the lens of their social impact [35] and collaborative capacities [36] for sustainability were identified. Social media and sustainable practices were targeted in several studies [37]. Case studies were a recurring approach to investigating social media's prevalence in the promotion of sustainable tourism [38] and as destination marketing tool for sustainable operations [39].
The categories of Resident's Perspective and Community-Based Operations both investigated sustainable practices from the lens of the local citizen. Resident's Perspective aimed to understand the residents' perceptive on tourism and sustainable practices. For example, Sanja, Dragan, Aleksandra, and Božović [40] conducted a case study investigating residents' perceptions of, and satisfaction with, tourism's sustainable development. Community-based operations studies explored approaches taken by residents to encourage tourism within their community. This was demonstrated by Han, Eom, Al-Ansi, Ryu, and Kim [41] in their examination of community-based tourism as a sustainable direction in destination development.
The category Culture, Religion, and Political explored the influence of culture, religion, and politics toward sustainability practices. Though the concepts of culture, religion and politics are distinct they often overlap as shown by Cortese, D'Ambrosio, and Petracca, [42] in which they investigated possible synergy between culture and religion for sustainability of tourism. Research regarding politics on sustainability in tourism has shown to be an underpinning for various constructs [43]. Another example in this category sought to determine how to identify opportunities for sustainable tourism development based on cultural heritage, finding locality a key factor as it related to culture [44].
Within the category of Gender and Demographic Characteristics, articles examined the intersection of gender, age, and economic status influencing sustainable tourism. For example, Sanggyeong Je, Khoo, and Chiao Ling Yang [45] investigated gender issues in tourism organizations with sustainability as an underlying concept. Similarly, in this category, Small investigated gender norms within the tourism industry [46]. Another article investigated gender identity within the field of tourism [47].
Small Entrepreneurship looked at the perspectives of small operators and accommodations regarding sustainable tourism. Research was conducted through quantitative [48,49] as well as qualitative [50,51] approaches, including several case studies [52]. Furthermore, Kummitha, Kolloju, Jancsik, and Szalók [53] argued that tourism social entrepreneurs play an important role in the adoption of sustainable strategies to achieve social, environmental, and community development.
The next category, Social Responsibility, Equity, and Justice, considered the role equality, diversity, and fairness play in sustainable practices utilized in the tourism industry. One article examined eco-guilt and eco-shame in tourism consumption contexts to understand the triggers and responses [54]. Several articles [55,56] examined equity for indigenous peoples within the tourism industry while another article examined justice and human rights of tour guides and the transitional promotion [57].
The final category pertained to Corporate Social Strategy, which is similar to the small entrepreneurship category, looked at sustainable practices social impact, but pertained to large tourism corporations. Research was conducted generally on corporate sustainability practices in tourism, finding social services, economic prosperity, nature conservation and eco-efficiency the main corporate sustainability practices [58]. Several studies examined Airbnb's corporate strategies on sustainability examining various aspects [59,60].
This pillar revolved around the social aspects of tourism with an underpinning of sustainability. General elements of sustainability, either through practices or theoretical, were present within the various studies. Firms that are considering incorporating sustainable practices into their tourism operation should examine the approaches taken by articles exploring tourists' and residents' sustainability knowledge and behaviors. General best practices identified throughout these studies showed a need for tourism destination residents (locals) to have an understanding and "buy-in" to the sustainable practices. Furthermore, previous research showed the need to include all types of stakeholders in the communication of and co-creation of these sustainable practices, from tangibles such as food and beverage to intangibles, such as demographic characteristics and cultural identity. Finally, sustainable practices that increased social responsibility and equity among stakeholders were shown to be best practices.

Institutional
The first category within the institutional pillar, Heritage Sites and National Parks, explored sustainability practices and their impacts on landmark areas. Research examined the role of smart tourism technology in heritage tourism [61] while another article examined hotel sustainable practices within heritage areas [62]. Yttredal and Homlong [63] explored perceptions of sustainable development in a local world heritage site.
The second category, Policies and Governance, pertained to local, national, and global governmental sustainability policies and their outcomes. Various levels of sustainable practices and governance were examined including, local [64], national [65], continental [66], and global [67]. Yet another article examined policy and governance from experts in the tourism industry [68].
The next category, Organizational Goals and Practices, examined regional organizational tactics on sustainability to encourage tourism. Research in this category covered human resource practices pertaining to sustainability [69]. Other articles examined factors that foster organizational sustainability in tourism industry operations [70]. Similarly, Fang, Nguyen, and Armstrong [71] utilized a case study approach to understand collective leadership capacity in organizations with sustainable focused practices.
The final category, Certification and Regulations, investigated sustainability of tourism destinations and the impact of certifications and regulations. A study by Costa, Rodrigues, and Gomes [72] examined the importance of certifications within sustainability and tourism, finding that environmental certification has proven to be an important policy instrument, helping consumers to choose products and services that are less harmful to the environment and more authentic. Additionally, research has tested the ethical behaviors of organizations in interaction with public officials and through the strength of accountability regulations, influencing sustainability reporting practices in the tourism industry [73].
Best practices within the institutional pillar were targeted toward ensuring the longevity of heritage sites and national parks, as well as policies, regulations, and certifications that facilitated proper sustainable approaches. Various studies showed this was accomplished through local, national, and global initiatives that tracked the policies as well as their outcomes. Specifically, regional sustainable tactics were shown to be the most effective in encouraging sustainable practices in the tourism industry.

Ecological
The first and most prevalent category in the ecological pillar centered on the impact of various forms of energy consumption and sustainable practices affecting climate change. Numerous articles examined the effects of sustainable tourism practices [12] and climate change directly [74]. Similarly, research investigated the climate-related risk of forest fires for Mediterranean islands' tourism economy [75]. Furthermore, Scott [76] considered sustainable tourism and the grand challenge of climate change.
The Conservation and Development Strategies category examined environmental preservation utilizing sustainable strategies. Within this category, several studies examined the effects of ecotourism and sustainability [77]. Similarly, Sangpikul [78] examined tourist perceptions of guided ecotourism tours. Another study examined when and how perceived sustainability-related climate influences and pro-environmental behaviors of tourism destination residents interacted [79].
The next category, Carbon Emissions and Air Quality covered the impact of carbon emissions and air quality on tourism and sustainability. Multiple articles focused on air pollution [80] and its effect on the environment [81] as well as sustainable approaches to mitigate its effects [82], while other articles targeted carbon emissions [83] related to tourism [84] and sustainable practices [85]. Other research encompassed carbon footprint in tourism [86].
The Over-Tourism category was defined as overcrowding and the impact of tourism on sustainability. Research examined over-tourism within cities [87] and at a national level [88]. In a different approach, Pasquinelli and Trunfio [89] conducted a narrative analysis of online news media to examine over-tourism in various cities. Additionally, research on over-tourism has argued for the redefinition of tourism in order to place the rights of local communities above the rights of tourists [29].
The next category, Transportation and Space, examined various forms of transport and their influence within tourism and sustainability. Sustainable practices pertaining to car rentals [90], bus tours [91], and general transportation [92] were all surveyed in this category. Additionally, research has analyzed how travel bubbles contribute towards the sustainability and reconstruction of the tourism industry [93]. Dimensions of sustainable tourism into space were also investigated [94].
The final category explores sustainable approaches to investigate or ensure Food Security. Research by Burke [95] examined the impact of food security and the global pandemic. Similarly, Lamia, Ghidouche ait-yahia, and Ghidouche [96] examined the possibility of achieving sustainable development goals, including food security, through agritourism. Finally, research has explored promoting sustainable tourism futures by creating synergies between food, place, and people [97].
Within the ecological pillar, best practices were focused on improving energy consumption throughout the tourism industry, from water usage to food waste and carbon emissions.
Ensuring that over-tourism was not affecting the local ecology was also an important aim of many studies. Innovative transportation approaches such as energy-efficient trains and water vehicles were explored to encourage sustainable practices through the environmental lens. Finally, food security concerns such as food waste and farming practices were studied to provide guidance on sustainable approaches to improve current practices.

Economic
Within the economic pillar, the most-recurring category was Development Strategies and Supply Chain, which was defined as sustainability approaches and objectives affecting supply of deliverables and services in the tourism industry. In this category research investigated development strategies of sustainable practices through various lenses. Including feasibility [98], potential image [99], product development [100], and new frameworks [101]. Supply chain issues [102] and potential new approaches [103] were also targeted.
The second category, Operational Practices and Management, encompassed various sustainability tactics and their economic impact for operations. Within this category, hotels' sustainable practices [104] were cited several times [105]. Similarly, destination management [106] and destination image [107] was a frequently cited topic of enquiry. Cruise tourism was covered as well [108].
The next category, Technology and Innovation, pertained to the impact of technology and innovative approaches on sustainability. Technology was covered in a wide variety of applications, from robotics [109] to technology's influence [110], to "smart tourism tools" [111]. Innovation drivers were investigated [112] as well.
The influence of COVID-19 pandemic on sustainable practices was the next category of note in this pillar, entitled COVID-19 Pandemic. Articles investigated the pandemic in varying ways; some articles examined the current state of the industry [113], while others looked at the pandemic's impact [114]. Still others explored what post-COVID-19 pandemic tourism and sustainable practices might look like [115].
Another category in this pillar, Rural Locations, overviewed the economic impacts sustainable practices have on rural locations. Content covered the length of stay and sustainability [116], as well as challenges for regional sustainability [117]. The category of public initiatives was another area of enquiry within the rural category [118]. Website development was also examined [119].
The final category focused on Occupation-Based Understanding of sustainability within tourism. While having the fewest articles in its category, competition and job market articles covered distance barriers to sustainability [120], revenue-sharing models [121], and destination competition [122].
Lastly, the Other category consisted of articles creating new measurement instruments and developing models to further explain sustainability in the tourism industry. To examine sustainable tourist behavior, the development of a second-order scale based on three destinations was completed [123], while others developed a measurement tool for sustainable tourism attitudes [124].
In the economic pillar, sustainable best practices were identified around supply chain issues such as ensuring appropriate practices for deliverables in the tourism industry. Best practices were also identified through the use of technology and innovation to provide a sustainable future for small and large economies, with a large number of studies researching rural locations. Finally, the global pandemic also played a large role in current studies of sustainability within the tourism industry, specifically on the topic of ensuring safety. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on sustainable tourism best practices was also a research focus.

Conclusions, Implications, and Future Research
The aim of this meta-analysis was to identify and analyze articles concerning sustainably within the tourism industry during the three years of 2019-2021. Overall, only 3.8% of articles published during this time in the selected journals were associated with sustainabil-ity, showing a potential need for further emphasis on this topic. The research approaches adopted were fairly equally distributed between qualitative and quantitative. Within the four pillars of sustainability, the most cited correlated to the social and economic categories.
In 2020, some of sustainable tourism's focus shifted to the COVID-19 pandemic. A question by Persson-Fischer and Liu [12] posed during the difficulty of the pandemic is, "Given the impact of the pandemic on economic losses in countries . . . what specifically do tourism scholars write about the pandemic and its consequences for tourism? (p. 1). While the loss of tourism has impacted many region's economies, the pandemic has also imposed health and psychological risks that have affected tourism. Sustainable tourism will need to consider these issues, and researchers will need to contribute of the recovery through knowledge exchange and assessment.
As sustainability in the tourism industry continues to recover and grow from a buzz word to a necessity, organizations must reevaluate their sustainable practices. This metaanalysis showed that small operations and entrepreneurs have been at the forefront of this effort and will need to continue to drive these strategies to remain relevant. There have been numerous factors for the emergence of sustainability, such as climate change, changing tourist attitudes and demands, as well as new policies and regulations from governing bodies. As the tourism industry begins recovering, it is recommended that operators large and small must incorporate sustainable approaches and practices throughout their business to provide a competitive advantage as they rebuild consumer trust in their attention to health and safety.
This meta-analysis is not without limitations. This research included the most relevant tourism industry journals for its analysis; however, there may be more articles that pertain to sustainability in the tourism industry that were absent. Additionally, to ensure that the most relevant topics and content were included, only the last three years (2019-2021) were incorporated. To further understand trends in sustainability research over time, further examination of current research juxtaposed to the earlier research could be conducted.
Though COVID-19 pandemic research appeared in the 2020 and 2021 publications, future research should investigate its impact on sustainability in the tourism industry as the pandemic ends. Climate change, natural and man-made disasters, environmental issues, and a host of other issues related to sustainability cannot be ignored. Practices that have been adapted to deal with the pandemic could have an unknown impact on sustainability. Finally, as emerging new technologies continue to become more prevalent and incorporated into all aspects of daily life, investigation into how technology is affecting sustainability within the tourism industry is warranted.