Sustainable Tourism Development: Balancing Cultural Preservation and Economic Growth
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sustainability; social entrepreneurship; social innovation; participatory development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
You are invited to submit your work for a Special Issue entitled “Sustainable Tourism Development: Balancing Cultural Preservation and Economic Growth”, to be published in the international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal Sustainability. The scope of the Issue is to enrich the existing literature through qualitative and quantitative research studies addressing issues related to cultural preservation and economic growth, which are often considered conflicting goals in the tourism industry. The aim of this Issue is to explore key principles and practices of sustainable tourism, highlighting its importance in achieving a harmonious balance between economic growth and cultural preservation. Cultural preservation is a key component of sustainable tourism, focusing on the protection and promotion of local cultures, traditions, and heritage (both tangible and intangible). Sustainable tourism strategies, such as community-led initiatives, the empowerment of locals and visitors through educational programs, responsible marketing, and the use of digital tools, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and digital archives, can help preserve the unique cultural and natural resources of destinations and maintain the authenticity of the tourism experience. Tourists, businesses, governments, and local communities need to work together to implement sustainable tourism practices that will provide a way of balancing economic growth with the preservation of cultural identity.
Dr. Despina Sdrali
Dr. Sofoklis Skoultsos
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 development
- cultural preservation
- economic growth
- tangible and intangible heritage
- digital heritage
- cultural and creative industry
- community-based tourism
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