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Sustainability and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) in Hospitality and Tourism Sector—2nd Edition

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 1656

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Hotel, Tourism, and Foodservice Management, Dongguk University-Gyeongju, Gyeongju 38066, Republic of Korea
Interests: sustainable hospitality and tourism management; restaurant management and operations; e-commerce in hospitality industry; consumer behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Food Economics and Service, Yeungnam University, Gyeongbuk 38541, Republic of Korea
Interests: hospitality sustainable management; hospitality organization behavior; hospitality; human resources management; hospitality brand management; research methodology; psychometrics; structural equation modeling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In today's society, it has become essential to fulfill the requirements of corporate social responsibility concurrently with corporate social impact. There is a widespread consensus that companies that strive for sustainability create long-term corporate profits. Accordingly, the importance of environment, social, and governance (ESG) operation and management performance is being increasingly emphasized in corporate evaluation. Currently, most multinational corporations, public enterprises and many private enterprises are evaluated for their performance in ESG via third-party reports and evaluation criteria. In addition, due to the outbreak of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the trend of eco-friendliness has continued around the world, and ESG-based management is emerging as a key to creating social value and sustainable management in companies in general and, more specifically, hospitality and tourism companies. Furthermore, ESG management strategies for the hospitality and tourism sector have become very important. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to address issues related to sustainability and ESG management in the hospitality and tourism sector, such as hotels, restaurants, food, travel firms, airlines, cruises, and casinos. It also focuses on developing strategies to improve the sustainable management and business performance of hotel and tourism companies. Therefore, this Special Issue calls for papers focusing on strategic ESG management and consumer behavior for sustainability in the hospitality and tourism sector. We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Hyeon-Mo Jeon
Dr. Hyung-Min Choi
Guest Editors

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

  • environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and disclosure
  • ESG and corporate performance
  • ESG and corporate value
  • corporate social responsibility
  • sustainable marketing
  • sustainable human resource management
  • eco-friendly practices
  • green marketing and consumer behavior

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 987 KiB  
Article
From Ritual to Renewal: Templestays as a Cross-Cultural Model of Sustainable Wellness Tourism in South Korea
by Bradley S. Brennan and Daniel Kessler
Sustainability 2025, 17(14), 6483; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146483 - 15 Jul 2025
Viewed by 844
Abstract
Templestay programs in South Korea represent a unique convergence of Buddhist ritual, cultural immersion, and wellness tourism. While often treated as niche cultural experiences, their broader significance within sustainable wellness tourism remains underexplored. This study examines participant reflections from the Beomeosa Templestay program [...] Read more.
Templestay programs in South Korea represent a unique convergence of Buddhist ritual, cultural immersion, and wellness tourism. While often treated as niche cultural experiences, their broader significance within sustainable wellness tourism remains underexplored. This study examines participant reflections from the Beomeosa Templestay program through thematic analysis of over 600 reviews sourced from TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, and handwritten guestbooks. Using a triangulated framework combining Grounded Theory, Symbolic Interactionism, and the Wellness Tourism Model, the research identifies four recurring experiential themes: spiritual development, emotional healing, cultural immersion, and conscious consumption. Findings reveal cross-cultural variations: non-Korean participants emphasized spiritual exploration and cultural learning, while Korean participants prioritized emotional renewal and reconnection with heritage. Yet, across all groups, participants reported transformative outcomes, including heightened clarity, inner calm, and enhanced self-awareness. These results suggest that Templestays serve as accessible, culturally grounded wellness retreats that align with rising global demand for intentional, mindful travel. This study contributes to sustainable tourism scholarship by framing Templestays as low-impact, spiritually resonant alternatives to commercialized wellness retreats. Practical recommendations are offered to expand participation while maintaining program authenticity and safeguarding the spiritual and cultural integrity of monastic hosts in an increasingly globalized wellness landscape. Full article
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18 pages, 436 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Impact of Employees’ Perceptions of Green Intellectual Capital on Career and Life Satisfaction: A Mediating Moderation Model in Turkish Hotels
by Ertac Gulakdeniz and Georgiana Karadas
Sustainability 2025, 17(14), 6448; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146448 - 15 Jul 2025
Viewed by 290
Abstract
This study addresses a gap in hospitality research by investigating how employees’ perceptions of green intellectual capital (GIC) influence their satisfaction with both career and life. Although sustainability has become increasingly relevant in organizational strategies, limited research has examined how such job resources [...] Read more.
This study addresses a gap in hospitality research by investigating how employees’ perceptions of green intellectual capital (GIC) influence their satisfaction with both career and life. Although sustainability has become increasingly relevant in organizational strategies, limited research has examined how such job resources affect employees’ attitudes. Guided by the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) framework, the study proposes a model in which organizational embeddedness (OE) mediates the relationship between green intellectual capital (GIC) and satisfaction outcomes, while thriving at work (TAW) moderates this pathway. The analysis is based on data collected from 371 employees working in four- and five-star hotels in Turkey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. The findings show that positive perceptions of green intellectual capital (GIC) are associated with stronger embeddedness, which, in turn, enhances career and life satisfaction. Moreover, this indirect effect is more pronounced among employees who report higher levels of thriving. The results emphasize how sustainability-oriented practices can serve as meaningful resources that improve employee outcomes in the hospitality industry. Full article
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