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Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage: Sustainable Tourism Development

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2027 | Viewed by 1372

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Marketing and Quantitative Methods, Gdynia Maritime University, Gdynia, Poland
Interests: territorial cooperation; cross-border governance; peripheral regions; EU cohesion policy; Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR); place marketing and regional branding; tourism development

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Guest Editor
Department of Spatial Management and Tourism, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland
Interests: sustainable development; spatial planning; tourism; place marketing; urbanization; green infrastructure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, the dynamic growth of global tourism has become one of the most significant socio-economic phenomena of the modern world. While tourism contributes to economic growth and the improvement of living standards, it also generates new challenges for the protection of the natural environment and cultural heritage. The phenomenon of overtourism, which leads to the overburdening of popular destinations, results in the degradation of natural resources, the loss of cultural authenticity, and growing social tensions.

In the context of global challenges and the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainable, responsible, and regenerative tourism has gained increasing importance. Its primary objective is to protect natural and cultural assets while supporting the development and resilience of local communities. The search for effective strategies that integrate economic, social, and environmental dimensions has become a key element of contemporary tourism policy and planning.

The aim of this Special Issue, “Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage: Sustainable Tourism Development,” is to present the latest theoretical and empirical research on the protection of natural and cultural heritage within the framework of sustainable tourism. We invite contributions that explore innovative research methodologies and empirical analyses with practical and policy implications, offering system-based solutions that support the sustainable development of tourism at local, regional, and global levels.

Dr. Tomasz Studzieniecki
Dr. Beata Meyer
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • sustainable tourism
  • cultural heritage protection
  • natural heritage conservation
  • regenerative tourism
  • responsible tourism
  • overtourism management
  • sustainable development goals (SDGs)
  • destination management
  • community resilience
  • tourism policy and planning

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 1860 KB  
Article
Developing the Cilician Heritage Corridor: A Spatial Planning Framework for Sustainable Cultural Tourism Across Archaeological and Environmental Landscapes Centred on the Adana–Kozan–Anavarza Axis (Türkiye)
by Fatma Seda Cardak and Rozelin Aydın
Sustainability 2026, 18(7), 3260; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073260 - 26 Mar 2026
Viewed by 528
Abstract
Dispersed archaeological landscapes are often rich in heritage value but weakly integrated into regional tourism systems. This creates difficulties in visitor orientation, interpretive continuity, and conservation-sensitive tourism planning. In response to this problem, this study examines the Adana–Kozan–Anavarza axis in southern Türkiye and [...] Read more.
Dispersed archaeological landscapes are often rich in heritage value but weakly integrated into regional tourism systems. This creates difficulties in visitor orientation, interpretive continuity, and conservation-sensitive tourism planning. In response to this problem, this study examines the Adana–Kozan–Anavarza axis in southern Türkiye and proposes a spatial corridor framework for organising tourism development within a dispersed archaeological landscape. The research integrates spatial accessibility assessment, service-capacity evaluation, field observation, and sequential route design in order to establish a hierarchical gateway–transition–anchor configuration. Anavarza, one of the largest archaeological complexes of Cilicia, represents a monumental urban heritage site and a biocultural landscape situated within a Mediterranean ecological zone historically associated with Pedanius Dioscorides. Although current visitor volumes remain moderate, official statistics indicate a substantial increase in annual entries between 2022 and 2024, reflecting rising destination visibility. This emerging growth trajectory underscores the need for proactive spatial governance mechanisms prior to the onset of congestion and environmental degradation pressures. The findings suggest that Adana can function as a metropolitan gateway, Kozan as an intermediate staging node, and Anavarza as the archaeological anchor within a realistic multi-day visitor sequence. In this configuration, visitor functions are distributed across multiple nodes, while the ecological and archaeological sensitivity of the anchor landscape is more cautiously managed through spatial sequencing. Rather than proposing a predictive model, the study develops and assesses a context-responsive spatial planning framework grounded in accessibility, infrastructural feasibility, and conservation-sensitive visitor distribution. Beyond the local case, the study offers a transferable hierarchical staging logic for corridor-based heritage planning. Full article
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27 pages, 8232 KB  
Article
Cognitive Misalignment Among Stakeholders and Governance Strategies in the Li River Karst Scene–Village System: A Q Methodology Study
by Bing Lin, Jiani Chen, Guoshu Bin and Lisha Zhu
Sustainability 2026, 18(3), 1569; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18031569 - 4 Feb 2026
Viewed by 338
Abstract
This study addresses the intensifying conflict between conservation and tourism development in global natural World Heritage sites by exploring how cognitive misalignments among stakeholders obstruct scene–village symbiosis and by proposing governance strategies grounded in cognitive coordination to enhance sustainable governance effectiveness. Focusing on [...] Read more.
This study addresses the intensifying conflict between conservation and tourism development in global natural World Heritage sites by exploring how cognitive misalignments among stakeholders obstruct scene–village symbiosis and by proposing governance strategies grounded in cognitive coordination to enhance sustainable governance effectiveness. Focusing on three representative villages located in the overlapping area of the Li River World Heritage protection zone and the scenic tourism area, which represent the consolidation/maturity, emerging incubation, and potential cultivation stages of tourism development, the study employs Q methodology to identify stakeholder cognitive clusters and their interactive logics. Four cognitive clusters are revealed: utilitarian landscape instrumentalism, livelihood entitlement-oriented, nostalgic disciplinary gaze, and institutional risk aversion. Their presence and combinations vary across different development stages, forming distinct cognitive configurations. These clusters exhibit both couplings and tensions in value preferences, benefit claims, and action logic, which shape rule acceptance and willingness to collaborate. By overcoming the limitations of conventional surveys in capturing latent perceptions, this study proposes an integrated “cognitive differences—strategic interactions—policy mechanisms” framework. The findings offer transferable insights for managing multi-stakeholder heritage destinations, particularly in ecologically fragile areas facing overtourism pressures and sustainability challenges. Full article
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