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Sustainable Consumption and Tourism Market Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 15015

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Geography, University Alexandru Ioan Cuza of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
Interests: tourist experience; tourism branding; tourism planning; special interest tourism

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Interdisciplinary Research / Faculty of Geography and Geology, ”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, Iasi, Romania
Interests: tourism geography; sustainable destinations; human geography; stakeholders collaboration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid development of global tourism and its complex impact on environment and society has generated increasing interest in the sustainable dimension of tourism among both researchers and policy makers. Over the last three decades, more and more studies have approached the topics of sustainable tourism development, planning and management, or sustainable tourism consumption. The United Nations have included sustainable tourism management and consumption among the global development goals and policy (UNEP, 2015). However, existing studies have highlighted some major challenges related to these topics, such as the difficulty of linking theory to practice in the implementation of sustainable tourism projects and visitor practices that balance economic growth and sustainability. Some authors have pleaded for de-growth of tourism development and consumption and more sustainable consumerism, whilst others have even questioned the concept of sustainable tourism itself. Another solution was found in alternative tourism forms (e.g., ecotourism, agro-tourism, volunteer tourism, cycle tourism, etc.) as a growing potential market for more responsible forms of tourism consumption.

In order to support the development of more sustainable tourism and consumption patterns, both sides of the tourism market need to be addressed, with efficient planning and management of both tourism supply and demand. The existing literature has shown that policy makers and destination managers can influence the tourist supply as well as the visitors’ behavior and attitudes. This can be achieved by introducing new regulations, new technologies and patterns of production, through education or new destination management approaches that balance the environmental and economic performance, supporting community involvement in decision-making. On the consumer side, there is increasing demand for greener forms of tourism, as the number of responsible tourists, who are more aware of their impact on environment and society, is increasing. Tourist consumption has been analyzed from the perspective of tourists, firms and government regulations, but only a few studies have approached the sustainability dimension of this subject.

In the context of the present tourism market, there is still a need for more theoretical and practical approaches to new ways of analyzing, designing and implementing sustainable tourism consumption and management patterns at both local and wider spatial levels (regional, national or transnational). It is clear that changes in the consumption and management patterns need to happen at a societal level, and tourism is a part of this global change. Therefore, a better understanding of the sustainable consumer market is very important in order to advance the implementation of sustainable practice models in tourism.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight new approaches to the topic of sustainable tourism consumption and management as well as to the planning and implementation of sustainable visitor behavior. We invite both theoretical, methodological and empirical studies from various areas concerned with the topic of sustainable tourism management, from research, policy and practice fields. Multidisciplinary approaches to the analysis, implementation and management of new, sustainable tourism consumption patterns are welcome, especially those relevant for implementation at higher levels (regional, national and transnational).

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

  • Sustainable tourism products and experiences analysis, design and implementation;
  • Alternative tourism and sustainable visitor practices;
  • Responsible tourism behavior and discourses;
  • Assessment of sustainable tourist consumption;
  • Promoting sustainable tourism behavior and products;
  • Managing tourism consumption in sustainable destinations;
  • Conceptual models for measuring and implementing sustainable tourism practices;
  • Case studies of sustainable tourism consumption and management;
  • New technologies that support sustainable tourism consumption and management;
  • Spatial planning and management of sustainable tourism development;
  • Sustainable destinations;
  • Sustainable tourism narratives and consumption patterns.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Oana Mihaela Stoleriu
Dr. Alexandra Cehan
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

  • sustainable tourism consumption
  • tourist experience
  • responsible tourism
  • sustainable tourism management
  • sustainable tourist behavior
  • sustainable destinations

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 2753 KiB  
Article
Developing a Deep Learning-Based Sentiment Analysis System of Hotel Customer Reviews for Sustainable Tourism
by Dilşad Erdoğan, Mehmet Kayakuş, Pinar Çelik Çaylak, Nisa Ekşili, Georgiana Moiceanu, Onder Kabas and Mirona Ana Maria Ichimov
Sustainability 2025, 17(13), 5756; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17135756 - 23 Jun 2025
Viewed by 619
Abstract
This study highlights the importance of managing and analyzing customer reviews to gain a competitive advantage and improve customer experience in the hospitality industry. In this context, a deep learning-based sentiment analysis system of hotel customer reviews is developed to evaluate service quality [...] Read more.
This study highlights the importance of managing and analyzing customer reviews to gain a competitive advantage and improve customer experience in the hospitality industry. In this context, a deep learning-based sentiment analysis system of hotel customer reviews is developed to evaluate service quality within the scope of sustainable tourism. The study analyzed 15,522 customer reviews of five-star hotels in Antalya using text mining, topic modelling, and deep learning-based sentiment analysis. The reviews were classified as positive, negative, or neutral. The findings show that Hotel HB2 has the highest performance, with an F1 score of 97.9%. Overall customer satisfaction is 91%, while emotional satisfaction stands at 77%. Key factors, such as cleanliness, food quality, and staff professionalism, were found to play a critical role in customer loyalty. Additionally, this study integrates sustainability-orientated themes by identifying customer feedback related to environmentally friendly practices and sustainable hotel operations. The results provide evidence that customer satisfaction is not only influenced by service quality but also by the perceived environmental and social responsibility of the hotel. Machine learning techniques have emerged as effective tools for analyzing large-scale customer reviews, offering valuable insights to rapidly and accurately capture customers’ emotions, expectations, and perceptions. As a comprehensive application of sentiment analysis and text mining, this research offers hotel managers a practical framework to enhance service quality, foster customer loyalty, and develop sustainability-orientated strategies. This study contributes to the literature by linking AI-driven sentiment analysis with sustainability practices in the tourism sector. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Tourism Market Management)
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16 pages, 10176 KiB  
Article
Mapping Visitors Experiences—A Case Study on Selected Airbnb Datasets in Southern Europe
by Alexandru Rusu, Oana Mihaela Stoleriu, Marinela Istrate and Octavian Groza
Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 3105; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073105 - 1 Apr 2025
Viewed by 742
Abstract
The study of visitor experiences incorporating user-generated content from accommodation platforms is a distinct trend in the geography of tourism. Our research aims to better understand how this content can be instrumentalized in order to assess the viability of Airbnb accommodation ranks based [...] Read more.
The study of visitor experiences incorporating user-generated content from accommodation platforms is a distinct trend in the geography of tourism. Our research aims to better understand how this content can be instrumentalized in order to assess the viability of Airbnb accommodation ranks based on specific case studies from Greece, Italy, and Spain. The methodological frame we propose is based on two separate tools. First, the users’ reviews are summarized using sentiment analysis techniques, and the positive component is extracted as a separate indicator (predictor). The second step consists of mobilizing geographically weighted regression (GWR) to identify of the potential statistical association between the Airbnb apartments’ ranks and the quantitative outputs of sentiment analysis. The results obtained for 13 case studies are based on more than 4.6 million reviews. They clearly emphasize a gap between the rank proposed by the platform and the positive scores of sentiment analysis for the accommodation units analyzed (88,053). Despite some limitations linked to the quantity of data needed to be integrated into the investigation, the methodological frame can be transferred to other destinations, providing useful information about the potential distortions of tourism markets by the meta-description of accommodation systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Tourism Market Management)
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19 pages, 1750 KiB  
Article
Tourism in the Era of Social Responsibility and Sustainability: Understanding International Tourists’ Destination Choices
by Verónica Baena and Julio Cerviño
Sustainability 2024, 16(19), 8509; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198509 - 29 Sep 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 10250
Abstract
Over the past three decades, global tourism has significantly contributed to the world economy, driven by factors such as globalization, technological advancements, and rising disposable incomes. However, alongside these economic benefits, tourism’s environmental impact remains a pressing concern, involving resource depletion, pollution, and [...] Read more.
Over the past three decades, global tourism has significantly contributed to the world economy, driven by factors such as globalization, technological advancements, and rising disposable incomes. However, alongside these economic benefits, tourism’s environmental impact remains a pressing concern, involving resource depletion, pollution, and substantial carbon emissions. Despite extensive research on these issues, there remains a gap in the literature regarding how state social responsibility and sustainability can be effectively integrated into tourism policies, particularly in prominent tourist destinations like Spain. This study addresses this gap by employing a combined qualitative (content analysis) and quantitative (survey) approach to explore the dual role of tourism in economic growth and environmental sustainability. Focusing on Spain as a case study, the research highlights both the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable tourism practices. It examines the influence of factors such as the host country’s image, quality of life, the home country’s purchasing power parity (PPP), and the geographical distance between home and host countries on tourists’ destination choices within the framework of Stakeholder Theory. The novelty of this research lies in its comprehensive analysis of these factors, offering critical insights for researchers and policymakers striving to balance tourism growth with environmental sustainability globally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Tourism Market Management)
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21 pages, 4528 KiB  
Article
The Role of Websites in Promoting Wine Tourism: An Evaluation of Romanian Wineries
by Cristiana Vîlcea, Mihaela Licurici and Liliana Popescu
Sustainability 2024, 16(15), 6336; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156336 - 24 Jul 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2237
Abstract
While aspiring to become internationally valued producers of high-quality wines, certain Romanian wineries recently turned towards wine tourism. Given the increasing role of smart devices and online-based information in holiday selection and planning, the main objective of the paper is to evaluate the [...] Read more.
While aspiring to become internationally valued producers of high-quality wines, certain Romanian wineries recently turned towards wine tourism. Given the increasing role of smart devices and online-based information in holiday selection and planning, the main objective of the paper is to evaluate the online presence, informational content and effectiveness of Romanian wineries’ websites for the promotion of wine tourism. This evaluation comprised 53 features tested in previous research and organized into four categories: main website characteristics, wine tourism, marketing, and education. Based on content analysis conducted on 154 websites of wineries identified in all Romanian regions, scores were computed and, subsequently, wineries were classified, mapped, and evaluated. The findings show that certain basic features are overall available, while exclusive features that could positively influence tourist preferences and experiences are insufficient in terms of design, education, and marketing characteristics. Less than 50% of the analysed websites inform about wine tasting activities, less than 35% specify visiting hours, and less than 20% mention tourist amenities. The websites that indicate other local wineries, allied industries or tourist attractions represent exceptions. This study underlines the importance of leveraging digital tools within the marketing strategy of wineries and the need to enhance networking among regional stakeholders as prerequisite for sustainable development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Consumption and Tourism Market Management)
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