Sustainability Struggle: Challenges and Issues in Managing Sustainability and Environmental Protection in Local Tourism Destinations Practices—An Overview ^†

Abstract

This article aims to explore and analyze current issues and features of environmental protection in managing local tourism destinations based on the principles of sustainable development through the relevant literature and thus to provide an insight into major environmental measures and activities that should be implemented in practice, emphasizing the importance of environmental sustainability as a key factor in the development and success of local tourist destinations in today’s business environment. Qualitative methods were used, with the literature review based on content analysis by keywords. This particularly affects the business process efficiency and the participation of destination stakeholders and in many cases leads to a low level of environmentally sustainable destination practices. In addition to this theoretical approach, this study also has direct managerial implications for destination environmental business operations. An attractive and well-preserved environment is the primary factor of tourism and local tourism destination development and its success, as well as an integrated part of the tourism product. This study addresses a critical gap in the existing literature on environmental sustainability at local destinations, where prior work has often overlooked the integration of actionable, practice-oriented frameworks tailored for both researchers and practitioners. While theoretical insights into sustainable practices abound, there remains a scarcity of holistic analyses that bridge scholarly understanding with implementable strategies for on-the-ground application. To fill this void, our research provides a comprehensive overview and systematic analysis of current practices, with targeted emphasis on co-developing scalable frameworks for improving environmentally sustainable practices at local destinations.

1. Introduction

In an increasingly complex business environment, characterized by rising environmental pollution and turbulence in global markets, tourism destinations must prioritize the preservation of natural resources and cultural assets through sustainable development principles [1,2,3,4]. Effective management demands collaboration among all stakeholders, including local communities, and crucially, the integration of public opinion to mitigate environmental challenges [5,6]. While sustainability and resilience dominate contemporary business discourse [7], the tourism sector—a significant contributor to global emissions [8,9,10]—faces urgent calls to adopt responsible practices that balance economic growth with ecological preservation [11].

Tourism’s reliance on pristine environments underscores the sector’s vulnerability to ecological degradation [12,13]. Natural landscapes not only define destination appeal but also drive tourist demand [14], aligning with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that advocate for equitable economic, social, and environmental progress [15,16,17]. The rise of eco-tourism reflects shifting consumer preferences, with destinations increasingly branding themselves as “green” to attract environmentally conscious travelers [18,19]. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed tourism’s fragility [20], reinforcing the need for resilience rooted in environmental stewardship [21]. Today, ecological competitiveness is pivotal to a destination’s viability, particularly in protected areas [22,23].

Yet tourism’s rapid expansion has exacerbated resource exploitation, leading to overtourism, habitat degradation, and diminished destination value [24,25,26,27,28]. Addressing these impacts requires systemic change; sustainable practices must become foundational to destination management, engaging stakeholders across sectors [29,30,31]. Despite theoretical consensus, implementation remains inconsistent, being hindered by fragmented priorities and short-term economic pressures [32,33].

Achieving environmental sustainability demands holistic strategies, robust governance, and stakeholder alignment [34,35]. Destination management organizations (DMOs) must spearhead policies that foster collaboration, communication, and community engagement [36,37], ensuring long-term competitiveness and well-being [38]. However, the complexity of coordinating diverse interests often stymies progress [39], with many destinations struggling to translate theory into practice [36,40]. Overcoming these barriers necessitates actionable frameworks that address site-specific challenges while leveraging global insights [41,42,43].

Critically, public support emerges as a linchpin for sustainable transformation. Global studies emphasize that community buy-in and stakeholder trust significantly influence the success of environmental initiatives [6,44]. For instance, research highlights how the public perception of sustainability efforts in European destinations directly correlates with policy effectiveness and business outcomes [6]. Similarly, grassroots advocacy in coastal regions has driven measurable reductions in plastic waste, underscoring the interplay between local action and global sustainability agendas [4,45]. These findings reinforce the need to contextualize global trends within local realities, ensuring strategies resonate with community values and priorities.

Despite growing recognition of sustainability’s importance, practical guidance for overcoming implementation barriers remains scarce. Prior research has focused on theoretical models or isolated case studies, leaving a gap in scalable, stakeholder-centric frameworks. This study aims to fill these gaps by

• Systematically identifying and categorizing barriers to sustainable tourism implementation, prioritizing those most frequently reported and impactful on environmental dimensions of sustainability.
• Proposing evidence-based, context-adaptive strategies to overcome prioritized barriers, explicitly linking interventions to measurable environmental outcome improvements.
• Developing actionable frameworks with theoretical and managerial implications for destination management to operationalize environmental sustainability.

Research Questions

RQ1. 

What barriers most frequently and severely hinder sustainable tourism implementation, and how do these barriers specifically impede environmental outcomes?

RQ2. 

Which evidence-backed strategies can effectively mitigate these prioritized barriers to directly improve environmental outcomes in tourism destinations?

By bridging theory and practice, this work advances academic discourse while equipping stakeholders with tools to operationalize sustainability, ensuring destinations thrive economically without compromising ecological integrity [31].

2. Literature Review

Sustainable development, which is often referred to as sustainability, has emerged as a guiding principle in global discourse, striving to balance ecological preservation with societal and economic progress. Its core objective is to safeguard the environment for future generations by mitigating the adverse effects caused by escalating pollution and climate change, thereby fostering equitable growth across all sectors [41,46]. This concept is traditionally structured around three interconnected pillars: social, economic, and environmental sustainability [29]. Among these, environmental sustainability is widely regarded as the cornerstone, as the protection and conservation of natural resources are indispensable to ensuring long-term societal advancement, economic stability, and the survival of life on Earth [34]. Crucially, achieving these goals demands active community engagement and collaborative value co-creation with local populations at destination sites [6,37]. Tourism, a vital pillar of the global economy [44], exemplifies this imperative. As this industry continues to expand, its resource consumption and emission trajectories—which have been thoroughly analyzed in prior studies [8,47,48]—underscore the urgency of responsible, inclusive planning. Sustainable tourism frameworks must prioritize ecological integrity alongside economic viability and social equity to align with broader sustainability objectives.

Scholars widely argue that integrating environmental protection into tourism and destination development is imperative, stressing the need to operationalize sustainable practices at the local levels [2,6,7,25]. This involves aligning tourism activities with destination carrying capacities to ensure ecological balance and long-term viability [49]. Of course, achieving sustainable tourism implementation faces significant challenges due to multifaceted barriers operating across diverse levels and scales, as identified in multiple studies [45,50,51].

Tourism destinations constitute multifaceted systems shaped by territorial scope, comprising interconnected elements such as resources, services, and stakeholders. Key actors include tourism organizations (e.g., private enterprises, NGOs), national and local governments, residents, and visitors. Central to successful destination development is the preservation of a pristine and appealing environment [9], which serves as a foundational component of the tourism product. Natural landscapes and cultural-historical heritage not only drive tourist demand but also define a destination’s unique appeal, necessitating prioritized conservation efforts [31,52].

Modern tourists increasingly prioritize destinations and accommodations that adhere to environmentally sustainable principles [14]. Environmentally conscious tourism practices now significantly influence travel decisions, with ecotourism emerging as a dominant trend [18]. This sector—including eco-certified hotels—has experienced rapid growth and popularity in recent years [13]. The COVID-19 pandemic further amplified the value placed on safeguarded natural spaces, catalyzing demand for nature-based experiences and ecotourism [21].

Environmental competitiveness has emerged as a significant metric in assessing destination competitiveness and a critical determinant of success in the global tourism sector [22]. Rapid shifts in market dynamics have intensified competition among destinations, positioning sustainability—particularly through environmental protection and resource conservation—as a cornerstone of strategic tourism development [52,53]. This paradigm underscores the necessity for stakeholders to adopt proactive measures in fostering competitive sustainability, ensuring long-term ecological and economic resilience [54].

However, tourism’s reliance on natural and cultural resources carries dual consequences. While it can drive economic growth in underdeveloped regions [25], its intensive resource consumption often leads to adverse ecological outcomes. Notable negative impacts include the overexploitation of natural reserves, pollution generation, waste accumulation, and ecosystem degradation [55]. Alarmingly, these detrimental effects frequently outweigh the benefits.

The unchecked global expansion of tourism in recent decades has exacerbated environmental strain [56]. Mass tourism and overtourism, in particular, have precipitated severe repercussions: pollution spikes, the erosion of natural and cultural heritage [27], unregulated urbanization [57], biodiversity loss, and habitat destruction. Specific manifestations include air, soil, and water contamination; noise pollution; and the disappearance of flora and fauna—all of which directly undermine the ecological integrity of local destinations (regions, municipalities, and towns) [25,58].

On the other hand, the business of the entire tourism sector is directly dependent on the high quality of the environment, and thus development and economic success [12], which cannot be achieved without its protection [14]. Straightforwardly, tourists will meet their needs and attain a high-quality experience at the most in attractive, clean, and healthy environments, especially natural ones [1]. It can be said that the great interest of tourism is to constantly maintain the quality of the environment at a high level [7].

This implies the necessity of the implementation of environmental sustainability through sustainable development in all tourism destinations in business practices with the participation of all tourism organizations [53]. In applying and proceeding environmental sustainability into day-to-day operations, destination management has a key role [35,59]. This is a very complex and demanding process and requires a holistic integrated systematic approach with the creation and definition of clear plans, development goals, long-term strategy, policies and framework for monitoring, and controlling and improving the environmental quality and process efficiency of the destination as a whole. It includes numerous coordinated and integrated management activities and environmental measures, a set of appropriate tools, techniques, instruments, and indicators to measure the results, as well as the competitiveness of the destination [60,61].

Effective destination management involves the inclusion of all stakeholders, fostering partnerships and coordinating efforts to balance environmental protection, competitiveness, economic viability, and tourist satisfaction [36]. This collaborative approach is widely recognized as essential, with scholars emphasizing that stakeholder engagement and alignment are prerequisites for achieving sustainable development and ecological preservation [32,42,62]. Destinations function as interconnected systems where stakeholders—spanning public and private sectors—must collaborate to deliver cohesive tourism offerings and services. However, this task is inherently challenging due to divergent stakeholder priorities, which frequently result in conflicting interests [29,57].

Beyond stakeholder coordination, destination management requires strategic oversight of diverse operational facets, including marketing, event planning, visitor services, and the integration of technology and ICT solutions [28,63,64]. Such complexity underscores the need for a holistic framework that harmonizes planning, implementation, and cross-sectoral collaboration across all organizational units [38]. Establishing public–private partnerships is particularly critical to aligning priorities and resources.

Given these challenges, the absence of a resilient, integrated management system—or governance structure—hinders a destination’s ability to optimize processes and ensure long-term success [31]. In practice, destinations face multifaceted sustainability issues, from ecological degradation to resource mismanagement [65,66,67]. Addressing these requires comprehensive action plans and targeted initiatives to embed environmental sustainability at every operational level [18,43]. The imperative for rigorous environmental protection is clear: communities, residents, and tourists alike depend on preserved ecosystems and cultural assets, which underpin both immediate visitor appeal and the intergenerational legacy of the destination [26,68].

3. Materials and Methods

Key Contributions

Building on the reviewed literature, several key contributions emerge that frame the foundation for the empirical part of this study. First, this paper emphasizes the imperative of integrating environmental sustainability into the core of tourism destination management. Sustainability is not positioned as an auxiliary concept but as a fundamental precondition for long-term development and destination viability. Environmental considerations are thus not only ethically justified but strategically necessary, especially in the context of growing global competition among destinations. Second, this study underlines the importance of stakeholder involvement as a prerequisite for sustainable development. The successful implementation of environmental measures depends on coordinated actions among various actors—public authorities, private enterprises, residents, and visitors alike. In this regard, destination management is conceptualized as a complex and dynamic process that requires integrated planning, transparent governance, and clear strategic direction. Third, this paper points to the urgent need for systematic frameworks to monitor and evaluate environmental performance. The development and application of measurable indicators, tools, and control mechanisms is identified as a critical component of destination management practices, contributing both to operational efficiency and strategic planning. Fourth, the dual role of tourism is critically examined. While tourism can support economic development, particularly in underdeveloped regions, it simultaneously poses significant environmental risks. This duality reinforces the argument that protecting environmental assets is not only a matter of intergenerational responsibility but a direct economic interest of the tourism industry itself. Lastly, the notion of environmental competitiveness is highlighted as a decisive factor in shaping the long-term positioning and attractiveness of tourism destinations. This paper suggests that destinations that prioritize ecological quality and environmental integrity are better equipped to ensure resilience, enhance their global reputation, and maintain economic relevance in the face of ongoing environmental and market challenges.

This research is grounded in qualitative methods, with a minor quantitative study added to strengthen selected findings. This dual approach enabled an in-depth exploration of interrelationships among destination stakeholders (qualitative) on the one hand and the measurement of key sustainability metrics and trends (quantitative) on the other.

Below is a short description of the data collection and analysis:

Qualitative methods are more applicable for this study as they provide better and profound insights and understanding of the complex processes and business applications of the destination environmental sustainability, which is not possible to obtain through quantitative data alone [69].

The review procedure consisted of several steps [70]. The first step for the review was carried out with an extensive search through various electronic databases, such as Science Direct, Emerald, Sage, Wiley, Google Scholar, JSTOR, ProQuest, etc. The following keywords have been used: destination environmental sustainability; environmental protection at the destination; issues/barriers of destination environmental practice; destination sustainable development; destination governance; the role of destination stakeholders in sustainable development and environmental protection; tourism impacts on the environment; and destination environmental sustainability practice. Initially, a total of more than 200 articles, published between 2002 and 2024, were retrieved. This involved screening the articles, reading their abstracts, some parts, and/or conclusions to determine their applicability for this study and compliance with the aims and the research questions. The next step was the selection of around 100 relevant articles for in-depth analysis. The final corpus of 102 selected articles underwent systematic analysis using thematic coding to identify recurring patterns and challenges, comparative analysis of governance models across different destination types, critical evaluation of implementation success factors, and temporal analysis of evolving sustainability approaches. This rigorous process ensured this review captured both the depth and breadth of contemporary scholarship while maintaining focus on practical destination management applications.

This rigorous process ensured our review captured both the depth and breadth of contemporary scholarship while maintaining focus on practical destination management applications.

In such a way this research is able to provide an overview of the existing relevant scientific research and considerable insights into the significance of the application of environmental sustainability practices in destination businesses globally as well as a new perspective and practical business implications [71].

Lastly, this paper presents the study findings and discusses current issues, suggestions for a framework of future action plans for environmentally sustainable practices in local destinations to advance these processes at a conceptual and practical level, and recommendations for areas which require further research. The researchers decided to employ manual review, which is defined as a structured process of close reading, critical interpretation, and qualitative synthesis by the research team. This involved three key steps: (a) full-text immersion that enabled the contextualization of findings; (b) thematic extraction of relevant data (challenges, solutions, contextual factors); and (c) critical synthesis (relationships between themes, contradictions, and nuanced insights were interpreted through discussions among researchers). This approach allowed for detailed reading and analysis, extracting relevant information that might be overlooked by software.

The topics and issues regarding sustainable tourism are highly complex and context-specific. Given the limited resources for this study, manual analysis was chosen by the researchers as it is more feasible and effective. Since the research questions aimed to identify and understand the qualitative aspects of challenges and potential solutions in sustainable tourism practices, choosing qualitative over quantitative methods is an obvious choice as qualitative methods are well-suited for researching complex, context-dependent issues in sustainability practices in depth.

4. Environmental Sustainability in Tourism—Measures and Activities

The environment and ecosystems form an intricately interconnected system where structural and functional relationships are inseparable. Disruptions to this delicate balance create cascading environmental challenges [55]. For instance, water pollution inevitably impacts soil and air quality, demonstrating the cyclical nature of ecological systems. Consequently, effective environmental protection requires a comprehensive, systemic approach implemented through sustainable development practices and efficient management [34]. This demands collective participation across all societal levels—from international organizations and national governments to local communities, NGOs, businesses, and individuals. Within this framework, national and local governments bear particular responsibility as institutional leaders in societal development [55,72].

Growing global pollution levels and the pressing need for environmental protection have prompted international regulatory bodies to establish numerous sustainability measures and regulations [14]. These frameworks require implementation through national policies and legislation. For the tourism sector, Agenda 21 serves as a particularly valuable guideline, offering comprehensive sustainability principles and practical measures for destinations and organizations [73]. Building on this foundation, Agenda 2030 further emphasizes sustainable development priorities, outlining specific implementation strategies for environmental protection.

According to these agendas, the main areas of environmental sustainability activities in tourism destination business practices can be summarized as follows [49]:

(a)

Conservation and optimal use of resources—diverse measures and activities related to the reduction in and control and measurement of resource consumption, especially energy and water; encouragement of renewable energy use; eco-procurement and production;

(b)

Pollution reduction—diverse measures and activities related to pollution reduction in soil, water, and air, including CO₂ emissions, noise, and light; energy management; water management (wastewater treatment, reuse); waste management and recycling; employing circular economy principles [46], the proper use of all chemicals and hazardous materials; the use of eco transport, products, and food;

(c)

Conservation of biodiversity, ecosystems, and landscapes—measures and actions for the conservation of biodiversity, the protection of ecosystems’ flora and fauna, wildlife, the use of non-invasive species for landscaping, etc.

In order to minimize pollution and respond to climate change issues, the priority areas that should be considered when developing destination and tourism organization practices are related to energy, water resources, and waste management; air protection and the reduction in CO₂ and greenhouse emissions; eco-procurement and transport; the conservation of natural heritage; the involvement of employees, visitors, and local communities; and the creation of partnerships [74]. Within these areas, there are a wide range of concrete measures and activities that have to be operationalized in business practices at the destinations and tourism organization levels.

All local tourism destinations must implement management strategies based on their carrying capacity. This process requires first establishing precise capacity limits, and then developing tailored environmental strategies that account for current pollution levels and ecosystem vulnerability [27]. These strategies should outline priority actions, mitigation measures, operational standards, and performance indicators. It is important to mention the EU ETIS Framework (European Tourism Indicator System), which is a tool for the sustainable management of tourist destinations developed by the European Commission. It is intended for destinations that want to monitor, measure, and improve their sustainability on an environmental, social, and economic level. ETIS is a voluntary management tool, and its results are based on self-assessment, observations, data collection, and analysis carried out by the destinations themselves. ETIS does not set minimum values that should be achieved and does not represent a certification system [75].

The effective implementation of sustainable development and environmental protection requires applying appropriate management tools and techniques.

Table 1. Tools for the application of sustainable development and environmental protection at destinations.

Tools for the Application of Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection at Destinations
Protection of the areas/natural environment	National parks Nature parks Areas of prominent natural beauty Nature reserves (wildlife, biospheres, biological reserves)
Regulatory acts for the tourism industry	International regulations National laws Regulatory acts of professional associations Corporate social responsibility Control system
Management for visitors	Zoning (attractions, sights, etc.) Controlling and restricting the number of visitors and access and movement of vehicles Tourist taxes
Determinants and calculation of carrying capacity	Physical, ecological, economic, and social carrying capacities Real (allowed) carrying capacity Limits of acceptable change
Sustainability indicators (calculation and analysis)	Level of resource use Pollution level (energy, water resources, land, waste, CO2 and other air emissions) Level of industrial and other local production and environmental pollution Diversity of natural and cultural heritage Destination footprint Access to decision-making processes
Assessment of environmental impacts	Mapping the environment Assessment of all environmental impacts and control GIS, environmental matrices, and other models Balanced planning models, cost–benefit analysis Environmental certification, ecolabeling, and auditing Public reports
Techniques for counseling and participation of the people	Survey of population attitudes, preferences Meetings Application of Delphi techniques, valuation methods Diverse educational activities to raise environmental awareness and participation of all community members
Codes of conduct (ethical and behavioral)	For tourists For industry For hosts (governments and local communities)

Source: [45].

presents a selection of particularly relevant instruments for destination management practice [49].

These tools, instruments, and techniques can provide significant support for local tourist destinations in developing environmental policies and strategies and their implementation in practice with the ability to measure environmental sustainability indicators relevant to the destination. On the other hand, they represent a number of complex activities and measures that need to be implemented and controlled in practice.

To achieve environmental sustainability, destinations must select appropriate policies, tools, and measures tailored to their specific environmental impacts, current conditions, and unique characteristics [2,76]. This process requires participation from all tourism organizations, as sustainable development cannot be achieved without their engagement [39].

All tourism businesses must integrate environmental sustainability into their daily operations, aligning their management strategies with destination-wide sustainability goals to prevent conflicts of interest. This applies particularly to private sector operators, including accommodation providers, restaurants, transport companies, and tour operators. Notably, hotels represent one of the tourism industry’s most polluting sectors due to their high energy/water consumption and waste generation [77].

The most important measures and activities for the implementation of environmental sustainability in tourism organizations’ business practices, especially for large facilities such as hotels, are related to energy, water, and waste management, eco-procurement, and eco-transport [55]. Also, they should apply ISO standards, EMS/EMAS management systems, eco-construction and equipment of facilities, and the preparation of public reports, educational activities, as well as support the local community in all sustainable and environmental matters. In this way, tourism enterprises can demonstrate that they are responsible companies, which today is an asset in achieving better competitiveness, attracting more tourists and thus success in the global market [78]. Also, partnerships between tourism organizations can bring many benefits, helping with the greening of destination sites.

Key sustainability measures for tourism organizations focus on

Energy, water, and waste management;

Eco-procurement and sustainable transport [55];

Implementation of ISO standards and EMS/EMAS systems;

Eco-friendly construction and facility design;

Public reporting and community education.

These practices not only demonstrate corporate responsibility but also enhance competitiveness and market appeal [78]. Furthermore, inter-organizational partnerships can significantly advance destination-wide sustainability efforts.

However, the implementation of environmental sustainability practices remains largely voluntary for tourism organizations, since there are no legislative mandates [58]. This frequently results in inadequate sustainability practices, despite the clear business risks: environmental degradation reduces tourist numbers and destination appeal, ultimately harming all local tourism businesses [40,55].

It can be summarized that the implementation of environmental sustainability at local tourist destinations in practice means managing and controlling all resources; the valorization of natural and cultural destination assets with numerous measures and activities to reduce all negative impacts that can harm the environment; impact assessment; continuous education to instill environmental awareness in all community members; and the achievement of a healthy environment [68]. In other words, the numerous and complex areas, tools, measures, and activities that need to be implemented and controlled in practice require the establishment of a systematic, integrated, and efficient management system supported by clear strategies and policies and the mandatory participation and collaboration of all destination stakeholders, particularly tourism organizations [66].

5. Current Issues in Managing Environmental Sustainability at Local Destinations

Initially, it should be underlined that environmental protection through sustainable development is a crucial aspect and factor for long-term and successful local tourism destination development, as well as tourism organizations [35,41]. In addition to that, environmental protection is often not practiced at a high level in destinations [73]. In many cases, environmental sustainability is minimally applied or not applied [79], particularly in tourism enterprises and especially hotels [40,78]. There are many current issues causing that situation [65,66,80]. Importantly, destinations and their management are faced with many challenges, issues, and obstacles in managing environmental sustainability in practice [36,67].

It is necessary to point out once again that managing an entire local tourist destination business is an extremely demanding, complex, and challenging task for any management team because it includes numerous areas and functions of management, each of which is also highly complex [63,81]. Furthermore, ensuring destination environmental sustainability is an extremely complex process, whose implementation in practice requires a holistic integrated systematic approach with the establishment of an efficient management system, i.e., governance and the participation of all actors at the destination [26,82]. Obviously, destination management needs to have appropriate conditions, tools, and most importantly, adequate support to realize all of these requirements [83].

Destination management primarily involves coordination between corporate actors and public sector stakeholders, focusing on building effective partnerships rather than exercising public management in the traditional sense. This reflects the complexity and multidimensional nature of managing a destination [76,84]. This comprises environmentally sustainable joint management activities and instruments for its implementation and control. The first issues arise here. For efficient management, every destination must have an appropriate management model, i.e., a model of governance [65,74], with a clear management organizational and hierarchical structure with the division of power and leaders responsible for that region and destination business [30,62]. This means that an institutional, political, and structural framework, accompanied by the appropriate model of governance, should be established, as well as the organizational and hierarchical structure of the destination management organization—DMO—responsible for that destination, within an integrated management system. This system should include cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination at the municipal, regional, and national levels with the participation of other local business sectors, institutional networks of public and private stakeholders, and the local people, and further requires a control system [38,63,85,86]. Without the participation of national and local governments (and their authorities), this cannot be properly achieved [39,61].

On the other hand, the existence of various destination stakeholders and private tourism enterprises, whose priorities are mostly related only to economic gains, leads to conflicts of interests and an inability to provide clear plans and goals and implement a high level of environmental sustainability in practices [65]. Furthermore, the voluntary participation of tourism enterprises in this process is often minimal or does not exist [83].

To manage all of these issues, the destination management needs to have the support of the local government. This means that local government and its authorities must be involved in the process of managing destination and environmental sustainability, in order to establish efficient destination management organization (model and structure), sustainable strategy, policies, coordination and control of all activities, cooperation at all levels, the creation of public–private partnerships, and monitoring of the performance of all businesses in the destination [59,84]. The lack of involvement of local authorities and their weak role lead to inefficient planning, poor and fragile coordination without a public–private partnership, and weak control, especially of the destination private sector, which brings a lot of issues and problems, often serious [87], resulting in a low level of environmental sustainability practices [65].

It should be added that through various measures and activities, local authorities can significantly support and help destination management in motivating tourism organizations to raise their environmental commitment in their operations and their awareness [83], as well as to mitigate conflicts of interest among destination stakeholders [87].

Furthermore, the commitment of national governments is essential because they are key drivers of society and its development [59,88]. According to many authors, legislation and regulation enacted by national governments are the key factors for sustainable development and environmental protection and their successful implementation in practices and could cover many issues [33,39,56]. Without legislation, sustainable tourism policies, and other instruments, it is not possible to implement environmental sustainability and protect the environment at a high level in destination practices [60,88]. Additionally, it should be added that many tourism enterprises, especially hotels, apply only mandatory measures prescribed by law [58]. Other important aspects include economic instruments, such as taxes and charges, to mitigate unsustainable practices and support actions and financial incentives [74,87]. For example, financial incentives are extremely important for medium and small tourism enterprises, particularly hotels, because many activities involve significant financial resources, which these hotels do not have [77]. However, the implementation of these instruments also requires the involvement of governments, first at the national level and then local.

Another important issue is the lack of environmental knowledge and awareness among the people and employees, especially managers in the public and private tourism sector, which also leads to low levels of environmental protection [52,89]. This indicates that special attention should be given to environmental education and training carried out by many educational activities at all levels with the support of relevant institutions and organizations [1].

It should be added that all these issues are particularly visible in destinations in developing countries [72,90].

It is a hugely important challenge to overcome all these issues, in order to fully implement all aspects of environmental sustainability into practice and day-to-day operations. For destination management, it is essential to first identify all issues and obstacles in the environmental sustainability application process in its territory, and then, based on this analysis, to plan and create a framework with specific policies, tools, and action programs to overcome them [53].

However, it can be stated that the foremost issue is the lack of initiatives and actions, especially from destination management [43]. One important reason for this is that destination management employees often do not have incentives, motivation, or willingness to take actions due to the low quality of employment conditions, as well as a lack of proper work experience and skills [61]. This has to be overcome with training programs and other convenient tools [42].

Without initiatives and actions, it is not possible to positively respond to all challenges and overcome issues (Figure 1). This leads to failure in managing destination businesses and environmentally sustainable processes well and can lead to more problems, negative effects, and the degradation of environment [81].

It can be argued, as many authors do, that the main issues and therefore barriers in implementing environmental protection at a high level in destination practices and establishing efficient management are a lack of national and local governments’ participation and a lack of environmental awareness and initiatives and action programs, especially at the destination management level [33,39,80,82]. Accordingly, it can also be stated that the main primary elements, i.e., factors of environmental sustainability application at high levels in destination practices under efficient management, are firstly involvement of national and then local governments, followed by initiatives and action programs, especially those led by destination management, and environmental awareness.

In the first stage, the commitment of the national government is imperative. They have to create and provide national policies for the environment, strategies, institutional capacity, adequate legislation, environmental planning, programs, measures, activities, education, and guidance. It is also necessary to establish a network of mechanisms for monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on the environment, enforcement of environmental law, and policies and procedures for the implementation of this process [9,91]. Without engagement and setting up frameworks and mechanisms at the highest state level, i.e., national government, it is not possible to achieve integrated systematic environmental protection through sustainable development and thus a high level of environmental quality [62,77]. As already highlighted in this study, a systematic approach is necessary because of the inseparable systematic functioning of the environment and ecosystems, which means that high pollution in one part of the environment will affect and harm the whole system, i.e., the whole environment, not only that part.

Furthermore, local governments should implement and integrate all these national environmental requirements and affairs at the local level, enforce national environmental laws, and create and apply other appropriate concrete environmental policies, tools, measures, and activities according to the specific characteristics, features, and facets of their territory and environment, including for the tourism industry. Also, they have to provide cooperative governance mechanisms with public–private partnerships, environmental education activities—which includes the coordination and control of all these activities—and an adequate model of destination governance with a clear organizational and hierarchical structure of DMOs and division of power and leadership [87]. In this way, they can significantly support destination management to be efficient in directing this process [84].

Another key element, i.e., primary factor, is initiatives and action programs, particularly those led by destination management, as a main driving force in managing destination businesses. But this should also include key stakeholders, such as a national and local governments [79]. In the current highly demanding global business environment, which is undergoing constant change, it is of supreme importance to take actions as a way to respond positively to all the requirements and demands of the market and to build effective management at operational levels. A lack of actions is tied to poor management, which leads to a low level of environmental protection, overriding the risk of harmful effects on the environment, people’s lives, and destination businesses [43,73]. In other words, managing destination and environmental sustainability effectively with action programs is a crucial way to achieve successful functioning of the destination business and long-term progress [92].

6. Discussion

6.1. Implications and Outcomes

The establishment of an efficient, integrated management system for sustainable development and environmental protection—what we might term destination governance—represents an essential strategic direction for all tourism destinations [86]. Such systems enable destinations to adapt to change, address challenges, coordinate actions, and maintain high environmental standards [82], directly contributing to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Effective implementation requires the mandatory participation of all stakeholders [13]. Their integrated, mutual cooperation with joint efforts and activities and the efficient synchronized coordination of their work at all levels are essential [37] in order to minimize and control all negative impacts on the environment and reach a high level of environmental quality [32,85]. This collaborative governance model is fundamental to SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and supports destination competitiveness [90]. The overexploitation of the environment causes environmental degradation (undermining SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water)), obstructs destination development, and threatens long-term viability [56]. Despite this being studied for over a decade [30,67,76,80,93,94], progress remains inconsistent. While exemplars exist (e.g., Slovenia’s Green Scheme, Iceland, and Austria [81]—demonstrating SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)), most destinations—especially those in developing countries [66,90,95]—exhibit critically low implementation levels, jeopardizing protected areas [96] (SDG 15) and exacerbating inequalities (SDG 10).

Further, local destinations and DMOs often adopt sustainability in tourism strategies but fail to implement concrete or measurable actions.

Key implementation gaps persist, as follows:

-

Greenwashing: Widespread “eco-friendly” marketing without measurable actions [78], directly contravening SDG 12.6 (Adopting Sustainable Practices and Reporting).

-

Strategy–execution divide: DMOs adopt sustainability plans but fail to implement concrete, monitored interventions.

-

Equity deficit: Developing regions lack resources for effective governance (SDG 10), increasing environmental vulnerability (SDGs 13, 14, 15).

This stagnation raises urgent questions: Why has systemic change stalled for decades despite known solutions [43,58], and how can destinations, particularly those dependent on fragile ecosystems, accelerate SDG-aligned governance? The imperative is clear: Destinations rely on healthy environments (SDGs 14, 15) for economic survival (SDG 8). Overcoming governance failures requires translating frameworks into mandatory, monitored actions that explicitly target SDG indicators (e.g., water efficiency (SDG 6), emission reduction (SDG 13), and habitat protection (SDG 15)). It is obvious that local destinations heavily depend on a healthy and well-preserved environment.

It should be highlighted that Figure 1 presents and summarizes key current (identified) issues and their importance for managing environmental sustainability in destination practices. These relate to environmental awareness and the institutional framework structure at national and local government levels, which destination governance, DMOs, and management efficiency depend on. Their interconnections and interrelations are very deep and represent a complex system with interrelated influences and impacts on the environmental protection of the whole country, and thus local destinations [60,85]. A single point of failure can critically compromise environmental protection. For example, inefficiency in national government governance directly undermines the capacity of local governments and destination management organizations (DMOs). This cascading effect leads to systemic environmental protection failures across all levels, with weaknesses at each tier further weakening the entire structure [9,95]. Thus, the lack of environmental awareness and importance of protecting the environment lead to the passive approach, focusing on economic gains without the anticipation of serious negative impacts on the environment, which will lead to future high economic downturn [73,79]. This particularly refers to leaders and managers at all levels, including in national and local governments [96]. These issues, as highlighted in this study, are also major factors in low levels of environmental practices at destinations, and vice versa.

A critical systemic barrier to environmental protection stems from insufficient engagement and governance by national governments. As the primary actors responsible for safeguarding natural resources across their territory, their ineffective participation triggers severe consequences. This governance deficit manifests through weak or non-existent environmental legislation, poor enforcement of existing regulations, the prioritization of short-term economic gains over ecological sustainability, and low environmental awareness among government authorities, citizens, and destination management organizations (DMOs). Even where willingness exists, insufficient funding, technical capacity, or knowledge further constrains action. These combined failures cascade downward, systematically undermining environmental protection at all levels—including local destinations. According to many authors, these scenarios are very present in practice at national levels [33], especially in developing countries [1,66,72,77,95]. Indeed, in these cases DMOs cannot put much effort towards systematic environmental protection in practice, especially when there is no public pressure on governments; little environmental awareness of authorities, including DMOs; or no interest in applying environmental activities [96].

A good example supporting this statement is Serbia, a rapidly developing country in the Balkan region of Eastern Europe, which faces persistent challenges of environmental degradation and unsustainable practices. Despite having environmental legislation aligned with EU standards, many scholars argue that Serbia’s implementation of sustainable development and environmental protection remains inadequate, particularly in protected areas and tourism destinations [97,98,99,100,101,102]. Key barriers include economic priorities overshadowing ecological concerns, low public environmental awareness, insufficient government involvement, weak enforcement of environmental laws, and poor governance in destination management organizations (DMOs). Strengthening public–private partnerships and improving oversight of these processes are essential for progress, since DMOs are governed by the public sector [97,98].

Since gaining EU candidate status in 2012, Serbia has prioritized environmental protection as a key area for reform. However, the European Commission’s 2024 report [103] highlights significant shortcomings in air quality, waste management, nature conservation, industrial pollution control, climate change legislation, and legal enforcement as it can be seen in

Table 2. Environment–statistical data report for Serbia.

Environment	2011	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Index of greenhouse gas emissions, CO2 equivalent (1990 = 100)	83.4 w	77.4 w	76.5 w	78.0 w	75.8 w	76.4 w
Energy intensity of the economy (kg of oil equivalent per EUR 1000 GDP at 2015 constant prices)	467.7	394.5	375.4	392.0	370.3	365.2
Electricity generated from renewable sources relative to gross electricity consumption (%)	27.5	28.7	30.1	30.7	29.9	30.1
Road share of inland freight transport (based on tonne–km) (%)	:	55.5 w	68.0 w	64.9 w	62.0 w	62.5 w

Source: [103] (pp. 101–102).

and

Table 3. Energy-statistical data report for Serbia.

Energy	2011	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Primary production of all energy products (thousand TOE)	11,169	10,025	10,219	10,968	10,186	9621
Primary production of crude oil (thousand TOE)	1122	976	941	921	894	881
Primary production of solid fuels (thousand TOE)	7825	6609	6826	7205	6282	5979
Primary production of gas (thousand TOE)	405	358	349	325	288	261
Net imports of all energy products (thousand TOE)	4970 i	5385 i	5497 i	4795 i	5652 i	7381 i
Gross inland energy consumption (thousand TOE)	16,325	15,528	15,417	15,955	16,237	16,432
Gross electricity generation (GWh)	38,600	37,426	37,600	37,956	38,236	35,510

Source: [103] (pp. 101–102).

. Statistical data reveal persistently high greenhouse gas emissions, minimal use of eco-friendly transport, and low adoption of renewable energy sources [103]. These factors contribute to severe environmental pollution, affecting both urban and natural destinations across the country.

Given these challenges, Serbia must intensify its efforts in environmental preservation. Sustainability and ecological protection should be key priorities for national and local governments, as well as businesses across all sectors—including tourism. Addressing these issues requires coordinated strategies to overcome existing obstacles, ensuring a well-preserved environment and long-term sustainable development.

Obviously, national governments have a crucial role in systematic environmental protection at the whole-country level, and thus local destinations. This leads to the important question: Who can positively influence national governments on environmental protection matters and sustainable development to change their unsustainable patterns and practices and overcome the issues?

6.2. Initiatives and Action Plans

Prominent relevant international entities and institutions, such as the United Nations (UN) and its relevant units (UNWTO, UNEP, IUCN, UNESCO, UNDP), OECD, eminent EU bodies, etc. [19,92,104], can positively influence national governments on environmental protection matters.

First, it should be underlined that all of these mentioned international entities have already made a lot of significant and valuable efforts to support green practices in the world, such as environmental measures, regulations, practical guidance, educational activities, projects, etc. [49,73,92]. Still, most of these activities are carried out on a voluntary basis by countries and in many cases have had limited positive impacts on destination practices worldwide [91]. Critically, the absence of effective regulation and enforcement mechanisms fails to align diverse interests with environmental imperatives. Without tangible incentives or consequences, sustainable guidelines often remain aspirational rather than actionable for many countries and destinations. Consequently, compliance becomes symbolic, failing to drive the necessary systemic change. Compounding this issue, UN-driven sustainability frameworks frequently assume uniformity in environmental challenges and governance structures across vastly different destinations. This assumption can render resulting strategies irrelevant or impractical for smaller or developing destinations constrained by limited resources and infrastructure. Furthermore, these destinations are often underrepresented in global policy dialogues. This exclusion directly undermines the development of locally relevant green projects and stifles essential local ownership and support.

This implies the need for more involvement and initiatives from the international community and its prominent institutions and entities along with concrete action plans [90], such as more mandatory environmental regulations and measures for countries (i.e., finding a way to require mandatory implementation in all countries); more support, including financial support to national governments, to help strength the efficiency of national and local institutions; the introduction of environmental legislation and concrete environmental projects (for example, on recycling business startups, renewable energy, wastewater treatments, etc.); an upgraded award system for eco-friendly practices of worldwide destinations with a more visible online presence to promote green practice and travel; etc. These action plans must establish a more efficient global sustainable tourism regulatory framework, led by the UNWTO, UNEP, and other relevant UN bodies, incorporating binding commitments for all participating countries. To ensure accountability, an independent compliance body under the UN should be created to audit and review tourism sustainability claims, penalize greenwashing, and publish findings transparently.

Mandatory requirements must be implemented globally: Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) should be compulsory for all capital development projects in countries and destinations. Furthermore, transparent, universal systems for measuring, evaluating, and monitoring environmental performance—focusing on key indicators like waste, water management, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity protection—need to be established. Complementing this, mandatory annual environmental reporting should be required for all registered destination management organizations (DMOs), certified businesses, and national tourism boards, with the data feeding into a comprehensive global dashboard, such as the Global Sustainability Index for Tourism.

Effective implementation demands tailored support: Global frameworks must be adapted to enable practical environmental action at national and local destination levels. To facilitate this, regional sustainability hubs (e.g., in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean) should be created to provide localized technical support, access to funding, and policy training for DMOs and local governments. Concurrently, credible and transparent green certification schemes and awards for tourism businesses and destinations must be developed and actively promoted. These schemes should be tied to tangible financial or promotional incentives, alongside recognition awards, to motivate and reward genuine green efforts and achievements.

On the other hand, it could be stated that the root of poor environmental protection in destination practices is the lack of environmental awareness of the people [52,89,90]. High environmental awareness leads to initiatives and puts public pressure on governments and enterprises, which forces them to implement environmentally sustainable practices at high levels [88], and also raises the awareness of tourists and the demand for eco-friendly destinations [13,14,105].

Therefore, more efforts and concrete action plans should be dedicated to educational activities [37] to raise the environmental awareness of people [29,74,79]. International community entities could organize more forums, round tables, seminars, and conferences with discussions of current problems and solutions. For instance, a forum could be organized at the regional level, and then the continent level, and after that, all findings could be summarized at a global level once per year. Also, the organization of more workshops and training programs is of high importance. Indeed, greater contribution and participation of universities and other educational institutions, especially ones with a good reputation, in these processes and actions would be of particular importance and offer great support. It should be highlighted that these educational activities, workshops, and training programs have to be provided at several levels [34,41,105]:

-

For national governments, especially developing countries, including NTOs;

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For local governments, local DMOs, and destination stakeholders;

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For local community members and tourists.

As we are now living in a world where the internet, as well as global tech and social media companies, have immense influence on all human activities and businesses, especially tourism [64,106], environmental protection matters should be better promoted online [53]. Furthermore, the concept of smartness is not new, and by applying it at the destination level, it creates the possibility to address some of the needs of tourists before, during, or after traveling [107]. It seemed that after the COVID-19 pandemic, global issues such as economic slowdown and geopolitical uncertainty were the primary public concerns worldwide, which is understandable, but environmental matters and activities should not be in second place and should be more visible to the public [47]. Therefore, the involvement of famous web service providers, such as Google, Yahoo, and social media companies (Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, etc.), in supporting and promoting environmental activities among the public would be of huge importance [54]. They should also make their own (voluntary) contribution at the global level and show that they are socially responsible companies [106]. As they have an enormous number of users [64], even one short, targeted message on their home pages could promote environmental practices [106], for instance more responsible behaviors, green travel, less use of plastic, etc. [89]. However, these activities might need to be initiated by international institutions.

This analysis suggests that addressing current challenges requires implementing coordinated action plans across multiple governance levels, as environmental impacts and influences are deeply interconnected across international, national, local, enterprise, and individual spheres [28,41,108]. While destination management organizations (DMOs) must take leadership roles, they cannot solve systemic environmental protection issues without active participation from local and national governments [27]. This hierarchical structure of environmental governance places international institutions and entities at the top, followed by national governments, and then local authorities and communities [47,92].

The growing importance of international cooperation is evident, as many national-level environmental challenges now require global solutions [49]. This necessitates developing more efficient integrated systems with coordinated management activities and action plans at the global level—essentially, improved environmental governance [104,108]. Therefore, future frameworks should incorporate

Joint initiatives by international entities based on regional need assessments with mandatory policies and the enforcement of their implementation;

Support from educational institutions and technology companies;

The engagement of government at all levels and societal stakeholders.

However, such efforts must guard against hidden political and economic agendas that often masquerade as environmental protection efforts [9,85]. With only one habitable planet, prioritizing genuine ecological preservation must become humanity’s collective mission [8].

This study highlights several critical research gaps regarding sustainable practices, which are essential for ensuring destination viability and community well-being, preserving resources for future generations, and contributing to global ecological security [68]

7. Theoretical Implications

This study advances the theoretical understanding of environmental sustainability in tourism destinations by examining its practical application and management. Its primary contributions are threefold.

Firstly, it identifies and analyzes key contemporary issues hindering the implementation of environmentally sustainable practices at the destination level, exploring their outcomes, deep interconnections, and systemic interrelations.

Secondly, it clarifies and delineates the roles and impacts of institutional frameworks operating across national, local, and destination management (DMO) levels.

Thirdly, it identifies critical enabling and constraining factors that determine the success or failure of environmental sustainability practices at destinations.

Furthermore, this study emphasizes the essential environmental activities and measures required for progress, alongside the significant roles of destination management organizations (DMOs) and tourism enterprises. It argues for the necessity of establishing a holistic, integrated management system for effective sustainability governance. Building on this, this study generates significant theoretical contributions by proposing a future-oriented, integrated framework for action plans. This framework operates across multiple levels (global, national, local) and explicitly highlights the growing importance of prominent international institutions. It also underscores the vital, yet often underutilized, contributions of educational institutions, global technology firms, social media platforms, and web service providers in driving systemic change.

By critically examining the gap between theory and practice, this study effectively bridges the conceptual foundations of sustainable development and environmental protection with the realities of destination management. This synthesis underscores the critical importance of translating theoretical principles into actionable strategies to achieve high levels of environmental conservation and protection within destination contexts.

Managerial Implications

Overall, the managerial implications of this study outline a framework for practitioners to employ more environmental activities and measures for saving destination resources. First, this study highlights the importance of protecting the environment as a key resource in destination development and success and provides a route to holistic integrated management. In view of this, a key managerial implication for destination management (DMO) is that there is a need to identify, analyze, and overcome issues and obstacles in implementing environmentally sustainable practices at high levels and to create and deliver initiatives and action plans as a crucial way to avoid the degradation of the environment and decline of destinations. This is also important for national and local governments as well as tourism enterprises. As ref. [109] pointed out, it is essential to promptly respond to various opportunities that appear and, in this way, minimize environmental threats, which promotes agile leadership, leading to improved innovativeness and improved performance. Agile leadership may, indeed, contribute significantly to the better performance of business [110]. Communication is essential in these processes; thus, improving and developing new communication strategies is important [111,112].

Further, the managerial implications of this study outline a framework for prominent international institutions, educational ones, global tech, social media companies, and web service providers to employ more environmentally sustainable activities and action plans to support green destination practices and travel.

The approach of promoting more action plans with global support is of particular value to the many small- and medium-sized rural local tourism destinations and their stakeholders in developing countries, who are not in the position to implement a high level of sustainable environmental protection practices due to the high costs required for infrastructure development (institutional and physical) and the lack of human resources, proper knowledge, and skills. With the right support they can implement step-by-step action plan frameworks with several phases to attain a high level of environmental protection in practice.

Hence, this study underlined that future trends in managing destination businesses should be devoted to more initiatives and action plans as a way to overcome challenges and issues and reach a high level of environmental protection, long-term prosperity at all levels, and thus business success.

8. Limitations

The major limitation of this study was the extremely wide, large, and complex area of research, which was not possible to examine completely and in detail in one article, as it includes various fields, such as sustainable development, environmental protection, ecology, environmentally sustainable business practice, management with different operational segments of destination businesses, complex business requirements in the turbulent global market with worrying levels of pollution, etc. The limited number of studies and the lack of data regarding the actual degree of environmental protection in local destinations was another limitation. However, it should be added that this is also due to the fact that it is difficult to measure the achieved levels of environmental protection in destinations, due to the wide scope of environmental measures, lack of assessment schemes with clear criteria, and lack of available and accurate data.

9. Conclusions and Future Research

9.1. Conclusions

The tourism sector fundamentally relies on an attractive, well-preserved environment, as natural beauty and ecological health are key drivers of tourist demand and satisfaction. Sustainable environmental management is therefore essential for long-term destination viability. However, tourism itself can become a major source of environmental degradation without responsible management. Consequently, destinations must prioritize environmental protection through sustainable practices, aligning with global environmental goals while adapting to local needs. This is an urgent imperative for their market success and survival.

Despite the widespread recognition of environmental responsibility among destinations and destination management organizations (DMOs), business practices often fall short. Efforts frequently lack consistency, enforcement, and long-term vision, remaining symbolic or driven more by marketing than genuine commitment. Destinations face significant challenges in implementing sustainable practices, which are exacerbated by rapid tourism growth and overtourism. Common barriers include poorly regulated development, the absence or weakness of environmental policies, the insufficient integration of sustainability into planning, limited community engagement, and inadequate waste, water, and funding management.

Furthermore, weak environmental governance persists in many destinations, particularly in developing countries. This includes insufficient government involvement (both local and national), low public awareness, ineffective destination management, poor legislation, weak enforcement, and a significant gap between policy and implementation. These interconnected issues have hindered meaningful environmental protection for decades.

Overcoming these barriers demands a holistic, integrated approach and concerted action from all stakeholders. Central to this approach is empowering destination management organizations (DMOs). As leading actors, DMOs must lead by embedding environmental responsibility into daily operations, ensuring competitiveness in an increasingly eco-conscious market. Achieving true sustainability, however, hinges on robust collaboration. National and local governments, tourism organizations, NGOs, local communities, businesses, and visitors must work together. Governments need to provide institutional support through effective policy enforcement, public–private partnerships, and governance frameworks that empower DMOs. Simultaneously, businesses, residents, and visitors must recognize that environmental degradation directly threatens tourism’s viability, economic stability, and community well-being.

Given the scale and persistence of these challenges, strengthening international support is crucial, especially for developing nations. The root cause of weak systematic environmental protection and limited DMO effectiveness is often the insufficient participation of national governments. International entities are uniquely positioned to drive systemic change by providing impactful support to these governments. This requires scaling up global initiatives and executing them more effectively to create an integrated system featuring robust monitoring, adaptable support mechanisms, and inclusive management and governance. Action plans should emphasize enforcing environmental regulations, strengthening governance at national and local levels, and ensuring access to financial and technical resources. Fundamentally, enhancing policy coherence across scales is vital. Environmental policies at global, national, and local levels must become more coherent, enforceable, impactful, and inclusive. Cross-scale coordination must be significantly improved to implement policies effectively and enforce high standards.

International institutions like the UN provide valuable frameworks but often lack enforceability and contextual flexibility, which must be addressed. Their multifaceted role remains essential: empowering governments and DMOs, enhancing education, and aligning tourism with climate and biodiversity goals to ensure its positive global environmental contribution. This shift from extractive to regenerative tourism is vital for establishing long-term environmental sustainability everywhere.

Future action plans should also leverage key societal actors. Reputable educational institutions must provide diverse, research-informed activities and training at all levels. Furthermore, global tech and social media companies have a significant role to play in promoting eco-conscious behaviors and responsible travel, demonstrating their social responsibility and commitment to the global community.

In conclusion, tourism’s future relies on its ability to regenerate the environments and communities it engages with. By reforming environmental policy, embracing inclusive governance with a clear vision and accountability, and committing to bold action at every level—global, national, and local—tourism can become a driver of ecological resilience and sustainable development, not a threat to it.

Ultimately, environmental sustainability is not merely an industry obligation but a global necessity. Protecting natural resources ensures destination prosperity, safeguards communities, and preserves the planet for future generations. Every stakeholder—governments, businesses, and individuals—must act decisively to transform sustainable tourism from an aspiration into reality. The time for action is now.

9.2. Future Research

This study highlights critical avenues for advancing environmentally sustainable practices in tourism through focused research. Subsequent investigations should prioritize the following key areas.

Comparative case studies examining the implementation of sustainable practices across destinations in developing countries would provide valuable insights into varying degrees of environmental sustainability adoption. Researchers should aim to develop standardized assessment frameworks with measurable criteria to benchmark destination sustainability performance consistently.

A deeper analysis of barriers hindering effective environmental protection in tourism operations remains essential, particularly in identifying systemic challenges and practical constraints. Related to this, impact mitigation strategies should be investigated through case studies of environmental degradation in developing nations, with an emphasis on proposing actionable solutions for destination managers and tourism operators.

The field would benefit from exploring innovative governance models that enhance stakeholder collaboration, private sector engagement, and leadership structures to drive sustainability initiatives more effectively. Additionally, research should assess international cooperation mechanisms, particularly how global institutions can support local sustainability efforts through targeted action plans with quantifiable outcomes.

Educational and behavioral interventions represent another crucial area, requiring the design and evaluation of awareness campaigns and practical training programs, potentially leveraging media platforms to maximize their reach and effectiveness. Finally, studies should investigate how emerging technologies can be harnessed to reduce implementation costs while improving sustainability outcomes in destination management.

Collectively, these research priorities would significantly advance sustainability strategies, leading to better environmental protection and more effective operational practices across the tourism sector. Such scholarly work would provide valuable insights for policymakers, destination managers, and industry stakeholders committed to achieving measurable progress in sustainable tourism development.