Next Article in Journal
ESG-SDG Nexus: Assessing How Top Integrated Oil and Gas Companies Align Corporate Sustainability Practices with Global Goals
Next Article in Special Issue
Green Consumption Value, Attitude Toward Food, and Brand Evangelism for Farm-to-Table Foods in the Context of Green Food Tourism
Previous Article in Journal
An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) of Post-Pandemic Recovery Policies: Experiences of Women Informal Food Vendors in Kisumu City, Kenya
Previous Article in Special Issue
How Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Activities Relate to Hotel Booking Intentions: Evidence from PLS-SEM and fsQCA
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Sustainability
Volume 18
Issue 1
10.3390/su18010327
sustainability-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

A Multi-Objective Nonlinear Optimization Approach for Sustainable Tourism Planning: A Case Study of Juneau, Alaska

by
Zhejie Xu
1,†,
Xiaohui Xu
1,†,
Wenjing Pan
1,
Na Wang
1,
Keyuan Qiu
1,
Ruru Liu
2,
Chao Chen
3 and
Huaibin Qin
1,*
1
College of Information Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
2
School of Artificial Intelligence, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
3
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Sustainability 2026, 18(1), 327; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010327
Submission received: 28 November 2025 / Revised: 18 December 2025 / Accepted: 19 December 2025 / Published: 29 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in Hospitality and Tourism Sector—2nd Edition)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

Overtourism poses severe challenges to environmental sustainability and infrastructure resilience. This study proposes a multi-objective nonlinear optimization model to support sustainable tourism planning, with Juneau, Alaska, as a case study. The model aims to maximize tourism revenue and tax income while minimizing carbon emissions and infrastructure costs. By constructing several sub-models, the interrelationships among these variables are revealed. A genetic algorithm is employed to obtain optimal strategies under constraints of tourist capacity, tax rate limits, emission thresholds, and cost feasibility. The results indicate that when the annual number of tourists reaches 1.96 million and the tax rate is set at 0.198, the overall benefits are maximized. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that tourist numbers exert the greatest influence on sustainability outcomes. Furthermore, the model is applied to Venice and Kodiak to examine its generalizability and regional adaptability. The findings show that targeted adjustments to tax rates and tourist distribution can effectively balance economic and environmental objectives across different tourism contexts.
Keywords: multi-objective optimization; genetic algorithm; nonlinear modeling; sustainable tourism; computational decision-making multi-objective optimization; genetic algorithm; nonlinear modeling; sustainable tourism; computational decision-making

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Xu, Z.; Xu, X.; Pan, W.; Wang, N.; Qiu, K.; Liu, R.; Chen, C.; Qin, H. A Multi-Objective Nonlinear Optimization Approach for Sustainable Tourism Planning: A Case Study of Juneau, Alaska. Sustainability 2026, 18, 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010327

AMA Style

Xu Z, Xu X, Pan W, Wang N, Qiu K, Liu R, Chen C, Qin H. A Multi-Objective Nonlinear Optimization Approach for Sustainable Tourism Planning: A Case Study of Juneau, Alaska. Sustainability. 2026; 18(1):327. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010327

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xu, Zhejie, Xiaohui Xu, Wenjing Pan, Na Wang, Keyuan Qiu, Ruru Liu, Chao Chen, and Huaibin Qin. 2026. "A Multi-Objective Nonlinear Optimization Approach for Sustainable Tourism Planning: A Case Study of Juneau, Alaska" Sustainability 18, no. 1: 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010327

APA Style

Xu, Z., Xu, X., Pan, W., Wang, N., Qiu, K., Liu, R., Chen, C., & Qin, H. (2026). A Multi-Objective Nonlinear Optimization Approach for Sustainable Tourism Planning: A Case Study of Juneau, Alaska. Sustainability, 18(1), 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010327

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop