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Sustainable Tourism Marketing: Towards Transparent Communication to Empower Informed Decisions

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 5206

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Intrepid Lab-CETRAD, University Centre of Porto, Lusófona University, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal
Interests: tourism sustainability; destiantion image; destination marketing; film-tourism; neuromarketing

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Intrepid Lab-CETRAD, University Centre of Porto, Lusófona University, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal
Interests: tourism sustainability; sociology of tourism; hospitality workers; destiantion image; cultural heritage and tourism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the emergence of the global environmental social movement, and particularly after the general acknowledgement of the climate crisis by mainstream media, the awareness of our ecological footprint has played an increasing role in people’s lifestyle and consumption choices. More recent events, such as the cognitive effect of the decrease in air pollution and reclaiming of habitats by wildlife during the COVID-19 lockdown, further intensified this phenomenon. Consequently, companies within all industries now offer “environmentally friendly” and “socially responsible” products as part of their marketing strategy, from consumer goods providers to oil and gas giants. The tourism and hospitality industry is no exception. “Sustainable hotels”, for instance, are no longer a market niche, as virtually every single hotel boasts about its sustainable practices. On the other hand, increasingly competitive markets and consecutive financial crises enhance the need for cost efficiency. This combination of imperatives: catering to (or appearing to cater to) green and socially responsible consumers’ expected benefits, as well as cutting costs from wherever possible, is often an incentive for greenwashing. Additionally, the encouragement of hedonistic consumerism generally associated with tourism marketing can further hinder the achievement of sustainability goals within the industry. However, can tourism marketing also be part of the solution and empower tourists to make informed decisions and reward businesses and destinations that are genuinely seeking to have a positive impact on host communities?

The aim of this Special Issue is to explore tourism marketing strategies to reach sustainability goals. This will include product development focused on green and socially aware tourists, as well as the psychological antecedents of choice and willingness to pay for sustainable tourism services and destinations. It could look at how businesses and destinations deal with the apparent contradiction between the need to encourage people to travel and limit the industry’s environmental impact, as well as the role of travel influencers in this context. Through the expansion of knowledge and theory, this Special Issue aims to support tourism stakeholders to address sustainability challenges more effectively and transparently. Topics may include the following:

  • Influencing tourists’ behaviour: How to persuade tourists to adopt sustainable practices when travelling and at home.
  • Marketing “alternative tourism”—regenerative, community-based, rural, creative, etc.
  • Marketing that recognizes tourism workers.
  • Supporting tourists in “breaking up” with fast/predatory tourism.
  • Sustainability communication in tourism: effectively informing tourists about destinations’ and businesses’ sustainability credentials.
  • Sustainable marketing for urban destinations.
  • Sustainable performance as expected benefit: which sustainability aspects do tourists prioritize when choosing services and destinations.
  • Sustainable tourism marketing in the context of the sharing economy.
  • Sustainable tourism product design: co-creating sustainable tourism experiences.
  • The role travel influencers in fostering sustainable tourism.
  • Tourists’ reactions to and understanding of greenwashing in tourism marketing.
  • Tourists’ willingness to pay for businesses’ and destinations’ sustainable practices.

Dr. Arthur F. De Araújo
Dr. Maria Isabel Andrés Marques
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
  • marketing
  • sustainable practices
  • tourism product design
  • sustainability communication
  • sustainable hotel
  • sustainable destination
  • alternative tourism
  • greenwashing
  • willingness to pay

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 998 KiB  
Article
No Planet-B Attitudes: The Main Driver of Gen Z Travelers’ Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Tourism Destinations
by Arthur Filipe de Araújo, Isabel Andrés-Marques and Lorenza López Moreno
Sustainability 2025, 17(3), 847; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17030847 - 21 Jan 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2552
Abstract
With consumers becoming increasingly aware of the effects of human activity on the environment, tourism products and destinations are increasingly marketed as sustainable and socially responsible. As most sustainable practices lead to additional costs, and tourists’ decisions tend to be price sensitive, achieving [...] Read more.
With consumers becoming increasingly aware of the effects of human activity on the environment, tourism products and destinations are increasingly marketed as sustainable and socially responsible. As most sustainable practices lead to additional costs, and tourists’ decisions tend to be price sensitive, achieving sustainability goals necessarily involves understanding how much more tourists are willing to pay for sustainable practices as well as the antecedents of such willingness to pay (WTP). The present study aims to advance knowledge on the antecedents of WTP for sustainable destinations (WTP-4-SD), for which it builds on previous studies employing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP). In this context, a theoretical model involving ecotourism attitudes, environmental beliefs, climate change-related risk perceptions (CC-RRP), environmental concern during trip (ECDT), and sustainable consumption behavior (SCB) as antecedents of WTP-4-SD is proposed. The model was tested based on data collected through an online survey from a sample of 847 Spanish and Portuguese Gen Z travelers and analyzed through Structural Equations Modeling (SEM). The findings suggest that a cohesive set of attitudes and beliefs regarding the man–nature relationship, the risks of climate change, and the role of tourism—which have been labeled “No Planet-B Attitudes”—is the main driver of WTP-4-SD. The effects of SCB and ECDT on WTP-4-SD have also been confirmed—although the latter is quite small—as well as those of No Planet-B Attitudes on both. The findings bring about insights into young travelers’ attitudes towards nature and the role of tourism in sustainable development, as well as useful implications for sustainable tourism planning and marketing. Full article
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19 pages, 2874 KiB  
Article
Can Tourists’ Preferences Determine the Direction of Sustainable Development in Mountain Landscapes?
by Magdalena Maria Malec, Agnieszka Ziernicka-Wojtaszek and Renata Kędzior
Sustainability 2024, 16(22), 10133; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162210133 - 20 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1169
Abstract
Tourism and recreation development in naturally valuable mountain areas is a complex issue. On the one hand, it has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of modern society, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. It also contributes to the economic growth [...] Read more.
Tourism and recreation development in naturally valuable mountain areas is a complex issue. On the one hand, it has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of modern society, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. It also contributes to the economic growth of local communities, for which financial revenues from tourism are important sources of income. However, exceeding the limits of tourist absorption and improper trail management can lead to natural environment and landscape degradation. The Carpathians are marked by a dense and diverse network of tourist trails that can have an impact on biodiversity, which is often unique in this European region. The aim of the study was to determine tourists’ preferences in terms of the attractiveness and development of the mountain trails of the Carpathian region. The research was conducted using a survey on 10 main hiking trails in the Beskids. The results were compared with the inventory carried out in the field based on tourist values. The results highlight the possibility of achieving a balance between the use of tourist trails and the protection of the natural and cultural environment. Our results can be useful for the sustainable tourist management of mountain landscapes, linking nature conservation and recreation requirements. Full article
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