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Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism
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Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 23 September 2026 | Viewed by 1335

Editors

Prof. Dr. Donatella Carboni

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: human geography; governance; sustainable tourism; marketing; land use
Dr. Sonia Malvica

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: tourism; storytelling; mapping; heritage; cognitive science
Dr. Andreea Andra-Topârceanu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geomorphology-Pedology-Geomatics, Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 010041 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: physical geographies; geomorphologies; geographical hazards and risks; natural and cultural heritage
Dr. Florina Chitea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy, 023993 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: geophysics applied for geohazards prevention and environmental problems; sustainable development goals; geophysics for infrastructure projects and geothermal energy; education; geotourism and geoheritage

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore the evolving interconnections between nature-based tourism and sustainability, expanding on existing research that highlights tourism’s potential for conservation, community development, and place-based heritage valorization. Following research that has addressed ecotourism as well as sustainable tourism, the issue’s objective is to bridge these strands by foregrounding new insights into governance models, visitor–host relationships, and ecosystem resilience.

We particularly welcome interdisciplinary approaches that draw on diverse scientific fields to explore new and evolving topics, such as neurotourism and neuromarketing, and the constant redefinition of destination image dimensions. By doing so, the Special Issue will extend current debates and highlight how innovative research can inform practical strategies for sustainable development. The proposed manuscript could also address governance frameworks, participatory management, and innovative policies that balance visitor experience with biodiversity protection. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, this collection will complement and extend current literature by highlighting emerging practices and critical challenges at the intersection of nature, tourism, and sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Donatella Carboni
Dr. Sonia Malvica
Dr. Andreea Andra-Topârceanu
Dr. Florina Chitea
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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

  • ecotourism
  • heritage
  • governance
  • marketing
  • interdisciplinarity
  • visitor experience
  • tourist policies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1065 KB  
Article
Emotional Well-Being in Tourism Experiences on Pathways: Evidence from User-Generated Content
by Alessandra Marasco and Valentina Marchi
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 5072; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105072 - 18 May 2026
Viewed by 254
Abstract
Within the contemporary debate on tourism, sustainability and well-being, increasing attention has been devoted to the role of cultural and nature-based tourism experiences on pathways for human transformation and well-being. This study contributes to this emerging area of research by analyzing the emotional [...] Read more.
Within the contemporary debate on tourism, sustainability and well-being, increasing attention has been devoted to the role of cultural and nature-based tourism experiences on pathways for human transformation and well-being. This study contributes to this emerging area of research by analyzing the emotional well-being associated with travellers’ experiences on Italian pathways through an automated text-mining approach based on their online reviews on TripAdvisor. Through an analysis of reviews relating to 10 pathways, it improves the understanding of how emotional well-being emerges from reviews, their linguistic structure and how the main experiential factors are associated with positive and negative emotions experienced by travellers. The findings provide evidence of the association of these experiences with emotional well-being, show how well-being emerges in relation to the dimensions of challenge, community and escape during the journey on the pathway, and identify distinct linguistic styles in reviews associated with well-being. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism)
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28 pages, 935 KB  
Article
The Impact of Perceived Macaque Behavior on Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions in Non-Consumptive Wildlife Tourism
by Shenao Mei and Agen Zhou
Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 4991; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18104991 - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 242
Abstract
Non-consumptive wildlife tourism serves as a vital vehicle for promoting ecological conservation and nature education. Understanding visitors’ perceptions of wildlife behavior and how these perceptions translate into long-term pro-environmental behavioral intentions is crucial for balancing visitor recreational experiences with ecological management in nature [...] Read more.
Non-consumptive wildlife tourism serves as a vital vehicle for promoting ecological conservation and nature education. Understanding visitors’ perceptions of wildlife behavior and how these perceptions translate into long-term pro-environmental behavioral intentions is crucial for balancing visitor recreational experiences with ecological management in nature reserves. This study developed a hybrid analytical method integrating Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Based on 62,557 online reviews and 351 questionnaires collected from 33 macaque tourism sites in China, we identified three dimensions of perceived macaque behavior: food-driven approach (FDA), co-presence experience (CPE), and natural habitat-based behavior (NHB). SEM results revealed that all three dimensions significantly influenced Perceived Ecological Value (PEV) and Positive Emotional Arousal (PEA). NHB and FDA exert a stronger influence on PEV, while CPE primarily drives PEA. Furthermore, both PEV and PEA significantly promote PEBI, with PEV having a stronger effect. These findings indicate that PEBI formation relies more heavily on understanding ecological significance than on immediate positive emotions alone. These findings refine the “experience-to-conservation support” mechanism and suggest that managers should optimize ecological interpretation and regulate food interactions to foster sustainable wildlife tourism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Nature-Based Tourism)
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