Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Tourism

Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Published Papers

A Special Issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050) belonging to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 November 2026 | Viewed by 11393

Share This Special Issue

Editors

Dr. Jose Weng Chou Wong

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Management, The Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China
Interests: smart tourism; tourism experiences; hospitality management; tourism marketing; value co-creation

Prof. Dr. Ivan Ka Wai Lai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies, Macao Polytechnic University, Macao, China
Interests: Research methods for hospitality and tourism studies

Prof. Dr. Xin Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Continuing Education, Macau Millennium College, Macau, China
Interests: female tourism; tourism and hospitality marketing; urbanization and tourism development; special interest tourism

Dr. Shan Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Management, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou, China
Interests: tourism crisis management; cultural tourism; destination management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Under today's wave of globalisation, the rapid expansion of tourism is reshaping the relationship between human beings and nature at an unprecedented rate. The tourism industry can be studied through interdisciplinary approaches, such as integrating perspectives from technology, policy, economics, ecology, sociology, and culture, covering areas like ecotourism and smart tourism. This Special Issue focuses on interdisciplinary research, aiming to reveal how to redefine the meaning and practice path of sustainable tourism in an era of environmental crisis, social change and economic transformation. We are particularly interested in research that breaks through traditional disciplinary boundaries and comes up with innovative solutions.

We warmly welcome contributions from different research perspectives, including but not limited to case studies, theoretical analyses and critical reviews, to stimulate in-depth interdisciplinary dialogue. The core objective of the Special Issue is to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to provide a multi-dimensional communication platform for policy makers, industry practitioners and academics. Together, we hope to explore how tourism can become not only an engine of economic growth, but also a model of harmonious coexistence between human beings and nature.

Dr. Jose Weng Chou Wong
Prof. Dr. Ivan Ka Wai Lai
Prof. Dr. Xin Wang
Dr. Shan Wang
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

sustainable tourism development
tourism practices for sustainability
sustainable event tourism
ecotourism
sustainable and smart tourism
sustainable urban tourism
sustainable MICE tourism
sustainable tourism planning and regional development
sustainable tourism and tourism economics
consumer behaviour
visitor experience and visitor management
overtourism/undertourism
community development and sustainable tourism
cultural heritage preservation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

26 pages, 10259 KB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Accessibility, Equity, and Tourism Development Mismatch of Grade Scenic Spots in the Xizang–Sichuan Region, China: Implications for Sustainable Tourism Development

by Suping Cui, Jiahang Chen, Weijie Xie, Huining Zhang, Junmeng Zhao, Xinyan Wang, Junzhe Teng, Xiaofei Du, Linchao Yang and Baowen Yang

Sustainability 2026, 18(13), 6783; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18136783 - 3 Jul 2026

Viewed by 437

Abstract

The Xizang–Sichuan region is rich in tourism resources, yet its complex geography and lagging transportation infrastructure have resulted in pronounced spatial disparities in tourism development. From a sustainability perspective, such disparities can lead to a ‘rich-get-richer’ cycle: over-tourism and ecological stress in high-accessibility cores, versus underdevelopment and resource idling in low-accessibility peripheries. To systematically examine the spatial structure of tourism in this region, this study uses counties as basic units and integrates the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with an improved gravity model for tourism network potential accessibility (TNPA) to assess regional tourism development levels and the network-based accessibility among counties. A comprehensive evaluation framework was established across three dimensions: tourism resource endowment, service capacity, and socio-economic support. Travel times between county centers were obtained from the Amap API, and a TNPA index was computed to reflect each county’s potential for tourism interaction with the rest of the region. Results indicate that resource endowment dominates the evaluation, with scenic quality as the critical factor. TNPA exhibits a pronounced core–periphery differentiation, with Chengdu and surrounding areas forming a high-value network core, while most counties in Xizang show extremely low network potential. Equity analysis reveals a significant imbalance in the distribution of network accessibility between Sichuan and Xizang. Under the baseline setting, the population-weighted Gini coefficient, coefficient of variation, and Theil index reach 0.677, 1.724, and 0.884, respectively, indicating that tourism network potential remains highly concentrated in a limited number of counties. The population-weighted mean TNPA of Sichuan is also far higher than that of Xizang, revealing a distinct interregional accessibility gap. The development–TNPA mismatch analysis further identifies counties where tourism development foundations are relatively strong but network integration remains weak. Robustness checks indicate that the high-development–low-TNPA pattern is not simply an artefact of the median-based classification, with the most evident cases mainly concentrated in Aba and Garze in western Sichuan and a few counties in Xizang. The study highlights the asymmetric relationships among resource endowment, network accessibility, and equity, providing a scientific basis for optimizing cross-regional tourism cooperation and transportation corridors in the Xizang–Sichuan region. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Tourism)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

26 pages, 1833 KB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Distribution Patterns and Influencing Factors of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Guangdong Province of China

by Chunxia Zhang, Yanwen Zeng, Wenliang Wu and Luzi Xiao

Sustainability 2025, 17(23), 10594; https://doi.org/10.3390/su172310594 - 26 Nov 2025

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2261

Abstract

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) constitutes a vital component of cultural diversity and a defining element of regional identity. Understanding its spatial patterns and determinants is fundamental to informing robust conservation strategies and ensuring its continuity across generations. This research employs kernel density analysis, average nearest neighbor analysis, and Poisson regression to examine the spatial distribution patterns and determinants of 3576 national, provincial, and municipal ICH items across 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province, China. The research results show the following: (1) All ICH categories in Guangdong province exhibit a significant spatial clustering, with Quyi (Chinese folk performing arts) demonstrating the most pronounced agglomeration, followed by traditional opera and traditional music. (2) Kernel density estimates display pronounced hotspots in the Guangzhou–Foshan core of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and in Eastern Guangdong’s Chaozhou–Shantou corridor, while each heritage category displays its own geographically distinct footprint. (3) From the perspective of natural factors, ICH items are predominantly located in areas characterized by flat topography, proximity to rivers, and a mild subtropical climate, notably the coastal regions of the PRD, Eastern Guangdong, and Western Guangdong. These areas also possess superior resource endowments and transportation infrastructure. (4) Regarding socioeconomic factors, the analysis results point out distinct socioeconomic influences. Specifically, a larger registered population and higher per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) correspond to more ICH items. However, two factors demonstrate negative relationships: the total resident population and the level of dialect diversity. This study systematically elucidates the spatial distribution characteristics of ICH in Guangdong Province and their key influencing factors. The outcomes offer critical empirical evidence, thereby informing the design and implementation of optimized ICH conservation measures, promoting coordinated regional cultural development, and achieving the sustainable utilization of ICH resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Tourism)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

32 pages, 3751 KB

Open AccessArticle

Rural Tourism, Economic Growth, and Environmental Sustainability: Empirical Evidence Based on County-Level Data in China

by Jiahui Li, Yu Yang and Yuqi Ye

Sustainability 2025, 17(20), 9215; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17209215 - 17 Oct 2025

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2544

Abstract

Rural tourism is widely recognized as a key pathway for sustainable development by balancing economic growth with environmental protection. Utilizing an interdisciplinary analytical framework combining tourism, economy, and environment, this study applies a difference-in-differences (DID) approach to examine the economic effects and environmental costs of rural tourism policies in China, based on a sample of 1399 counties from 2007 to 2023. The empirical results reveal that rural tourism policies significantly boost per capita GDP, with effects significantly driven by the increase in newly registered tourism-related enterprises and expanded land transfer for tourism development. The impact is more pronounced in non-poor counties, those near city centers, and those with better transportation infrastructure. Further analysis demonstrates that while rural tourism development contributes to economic growth, the associated environmental costs are much lower than the economic gains. This study contributes to the literature by combining tourism policy evaluation with environmental performance, demonstrating an underlying significant role of rural tourism in achieving a sustainable development pattern. And for the policymakers who seek to achieve rural revitalization, it is imperative to embed the principles of environmental sustainability into rural tourism initiatives to ensure long-term sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Tourism)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 877 KB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Served Dining by Humans and Automations: The Effects of Experience Quality in Intelligent Restaurants

by Liu Xu, Shiyi Zhang, Jose Weng Chou Wong and Jing (Bill) Xu

Sustainability 2025, 17(17), 8085; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17178085 - 8 Sep 2025

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4147

Abstract

Automation has been widely applied and has greatly affected quality management in the catering industry. Intelligent restaurants refer to those in which smart devices and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies (such as robots and self-service technologies) are embedded in the restaurant environment. However, the existing research on intelligent restaurants has mostly focused on the technological development of equipment. Hence, this interdisciplinary study, integrating insights from hospitality management and human–computer interaction, examines how human-provided and automated-provided services interactively influence customers’ dining experience quality in intelligent restaurants, and how they affect customers’ perceived value and their social media sharing generation. This study develops a measurement scale of dining experience quality in intelligent restaurants that contains human-provided experience and automated-provided experience through in-depth interviews with 15 customers (Study1), and a model was proposed and verified using partial least-squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis on a sample of 493 customers dining in intelligent restaurants (Study 2), which shows that the quality of dining experience has a positive effect on customer perceived value, overall satisfaction in intelligent restaurants, and social media sharing generation. Specifically, automated-provided services offer functional value, while human employees mainly provide perceived emotional value. Perceived functional value has a greater impact on overall satisfaction with intelligent restaurants. The originality of this research is that it integrates services provided by humans and services provided by automated devices and clarifies the different roles of functional and emotional value in shaping customers’ perceived value. These findings provide a new research perspective for intelligent restaurants and insight into the optimization of service quality and automation systems in intelligent restaurants, thereby promoting sustainable business practices in the industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Tourism)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Sustainable Tourism

Share This Special Issue

Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI