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Sustainability
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Research Methodologies for Sustainable Tourism
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Research Methodologies for Sustainable Tourism

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 5618

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Eva Podovšovnik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty for Tourism, University of Primorska, 6320 Portorož, Slovenia
Interests: research methodology; survey methodology; statistics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainability is one of the leading scientific journals that covers different aspects of this important subject. The importance of sustainable tourism is being emphasized by many researchers in the 21st century. Tourism is very much driven by sustainable development in all areas: hotels, restaurants, destinations, travel agencies, transport, and others. As such, researching sustainable tourism and choosing an appropriate research design is vital for the development of research in the field of sustainable tourism.

This Special Issue on “Research Methodologies for Sustainable Tourism” will showcase the work of researchers that invest their interests in researching sustainable tourism. Since the research area is relatively new, it is important to share and distribute valid and reliable research instruments with others.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Research designs for sustainable events,
  • Research designs for sustainable destinations,
  • Research designs for sustainable hotels,
  • Research designs for sustainable transportation,
  • Research designs for sustainable restaurants,
  • Research designs for sustainable travel agencies.

I look forward to receiving your contributions in the field of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies for researching sustainable tourism.

Dr. Eva Podovšovnik
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • tourism
  • sustainable tourism
  • quantitative research
  • qualitative research
  • green tourism

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 309 KiB  
Article
Bridging Knowledge and Adherence: A Cross-National Study of the Mediterranean Diet Among Tourism Students in Slovenia, Croatia, and Montenegro
by Vesna Vujačić, Eva Podovšovnik, Saša Planinc, Greta Krešić and Marko Kukanja
Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5440; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125440 - 12 Jun 2025
Viewed by 517
Abstract
The Mediterranean Diet (MD), recognized for its significant health benefits and cultural value, has been inscribed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This study explores the knowledge and adherence to the MD among undergraduate tourism students in the Mediterranean region [...] Read more.
The Mediterranean Diet (MD), recognized for its significant health benefits and cultural value, has been inscribed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This study explores the knowledge and adherence to the MD among undergraduate tourism students in the Mediterranean region of the Balkans, specifically in Slovenia, Croatia, and Montenegro. A total of 581 students completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing MD knowledge, and the KIDMED scale was used to evaluate adherence. The results revealed an average level of MD knowledge overall, with Slovenian students achieving the highest scores. By contrast, adherence was highest among Montenegrin students, who nevertheless scored the lowest in knowledge. No significant correlation was found between MD knowledge and adherence, suggesting that factors beyond formal education contribute to dietary behavior. Further analysis showed that academic performance and tourism-related work experience were associated with higher knowledge but not with adherence. Conversely, reliance on informal sources—such as family, friends, and cookbooks—was positively associated with adherence levels. These findings highlight the important role of informal learning in shaping students’ dietary practices. Given the potential influence of tourism students on the promotion of sustainable food practices, it is essential to integrate diverse educational approaches that bridge the gap between knowledge and actual adherence to the principles of the MD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Methodologies for Sustainable Tourism)
13 pages, 3313 KiB  
Article
Exploring Apulia’s Regional Tourism Attractiveness through the Lens of Sustainability: A Machine Learning Approach and Counterfactual Explainability Process
by Fabio Castellana, Roberta Zupo, Filomena Corbo, Pasquale Crupi, Feliciana Catino, Angelo Michele Petrosillo, Orazio Valerio Giannico, Rodolfo Sardone and Maria Lisa Clodoveo
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6287; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156287 - 23 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1638
Abstract
Visitor attraction dynamics lead tourism industry paths. A complex artificial neural network model was built to predict the incoming tourism flow in the Apulia region of Southern Italy as a function of the heterogeneity of the tourism supply available in this area. Open [...] Read more.
Visitor attraction dynamics lead tourism industry paths. A complex artificial neural network model was built to predict the incoming tourism flow in the Apulia region of Southern Italy as a function of the heterogeneity of the tourism supply available in this area. Open data from the Regional Tourism Observatory were targeted. Information on the distribution of facilities and activities that attract regional tourist flows was collected and grouped by municipality. An artificial neural network model was built with total tourist attendance as the dependent variable and tourist attractions as regressors. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) was used to select the optimal model using the lowest value. The final model was run with a hidden layer consisting of three neurons and a decay value of 0.01. A Multi-Objective Counterfactual model (MOC) was then constructed using a randomly selected row of normalized data frame to validate a useful tool in increasing total tourist attendance by 20% over that of the randomly selected municipality. A Garson’s variables importance plot indicated natural landscapes such as beaches, sea caves, and natural parks have a primary role expressed in terms of variable importance in the AI algorithm when used as an innovative methodology for evaluating tourism flows in the Apulia region. A further MOC model built using a randomly selected row of normalized data frame showed convents, libraries, historical buildings, public gardens, and museums as the top five features most modified to improve total attendance in a randomly selected municipality. Use of AI modeling revealed that the implementation of nature-based solutions may speed up the flow of tourism in the Apulia region while also promoting sustainable social development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Methodologies for Sustainable Tourism)
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22 pages, 4679 KiB  
Article
Social Media as a Lens for Citizen Science: Investigating Visitor Contributions in a Forest Recreational Area
by Shoma Jingu, Yui Ogawa, Kazushige Yamaki, Asako Miyamoto and Norimasa Takayama
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5804; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135804 - 8 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2346
Abstract
The primary challenge in collecting biodiversity information using citizen science is to encourage a diverse range of people to participate. This is crucial in fostering a Nature Positive society. Social media approaches have the potential to engage not only nature lovers but also [...] Read more.
The primary challenge in collecting biodiversity information using citizen science is to encourage a diverse range of people to participate. This is crucial in fostering a Nature Positive society. Social media approaches have the potential to engage not only nature lovers but also a wider range of citizens, including those indifferent to nature. However, current understanding of the traits of individuals who contribute to widely prevalent social media platforms is limited and insufficient. This study focuses on individuals who contribute to a forest recreational area and the photos they share on a popular social media platform; it sheds light on the untapped potential of social media as a source of citizen science data and contributor sources. We developed a taxonomy of 22 classifications for 1066 photographs that illustrate human–ecosystem interactions and identified the relationship between these subjects and the history of social media activities of the 136 photo contributors. Our findings indicate that different behavioral styles exist among different types of visitors regarding their posting behavior and associated forest recreation types. This can encourage future contributions to the recruitment of citizen scientists and the collection of biodiversity information at small spatial scales. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Methodologies for Sustainable Tourism)
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