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Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 October 2026 | Viewed by 13599

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Dr. Seweryn Zielinski

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Guest Editor

Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Sejong University, Seoul 143-747, Republic of Korea
Interests: ecotourism; nature-based tourism; cultural tourism; rural tourism; tourism planning and development; tourism policy; destination management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The tourism industry offers essential economic benefits to rural and remote communities, often providing a vital economic lifeline where opportunities for other industries are limited. Sustainable development paradigms have introduced principles that promote self-help, self-reliance, and community empowerment, fostering tourism models that support these objectives. Rural tourism, community-based tourism (CBT), cultural tourism, and nature-based tourism are increasingly recognized as feasible and impactful pathways for local development. Their inherent strengths are found in their deep local roots, dependency on local labor and supply chains, and use of cultural and natural resources. Moreover, these tourism initiatives often ensure community control over tourism management and destination development, which supports their long-term sustainability.

However, developing tourism in natural and remote areas presents a series of complex challenges that can hinder these communities from fully realizing the economic and social potential of tourism. Local stakeholders frequently lack the knowledge, skills, and financial resources required to actively engage in tourism development, which often creates a reliance on external support from governmental bodies, NGOs, or private investors. While external support can be beneficial, it also introduces new dynamics that can sometimes lead to power imbalances and reduce community control, creating tensions that may impact local development positively or negatively.

This Special Issue aims to deepen the understanding of the challenges, development issues, impacts, and tourist behaviors in natural and rural areas. The articles will explore the multi-dimensional aspects of tourism in natural settings, including how communities can strengthen resilience to both anthropogenic pressures and natural factors like climate change. By examining these factors, this Special Issue seeks to contribute to the development of tourism models that enhance sustainability, resilience, and community well-being.

We welcome original research articles and reviews across the wide-ranging topics in nature-based tourism, including ecotourism, community-based tourism, rural tourism, and cultural tourism in natural areas. This Special Issue encourages contributions that cover, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Tourism planning and development: strategies and models for sustainable tourism growth in natural settings.

Policy and governance: the role of policy frameworks and governance structures in promoting or hindering sustainable tourism.

Tourism impacts: economic, social, and environmental impacts of tourism on communities and natural environments.

Resilience: how communities can build resilience to external pressures, including climate change and economic shifts.

Social capital: the role of social networks, trust, and collaboration in facilitating sustainable tourism.

Cultural and heritage tourism: the significance of cultural assets and heritage preservation in tourism development in natural areas.

Barriers to tourism development: challenges such as infrastructure, financing, and skills development in natural/remote tourism settings.

Stakeholder perspectives: views and roles of various stakeholders, including local residents, government, and private sector actors.

Indigenous tourism: the role and rights of Indigenous communities in tourism development.

Generational change: the influence of generational shifts on tourism preferences and local community roles.

Tourist behavior: factors influencing tourist preferences, motivations, and behaviors in natural and cultural tourism contexts.

Amenity migration: how the movement of individuals seeking quality-of-life improvements impacts rural and natural areas.

Lifestyle entrepreneurship in tourism: the rise of tourism-related businesses driven by lifestyle motivations rather than solely profit.

By advancing knowledge on these topics, this Special Issue seeks to contribute to the creation of inclusive, sustainable, and resilient tourism models that truly benefit communities in natural and rural areas. We encourage submissions that address the intersection of sustainability, community engagement, and tourism development, contributing to the discourse on how rural and remote communities can capitalize on tourism while safeguarding their unique environmental and cultural assets.

We look forward to your valuable contributions and insights that can shape the future of sustainable tourism in rural and natural areas.

Warm regards,

Dr. Seweryn Zielinski
Guest Editor

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
nature-based tourism
cultural tourism
rural tourism
tourism planning
tourism policy
destination management
impacts
indigenous tourism
lifestyle entrepreneurship
amenity migration
resilience
social capital
stakeholder
tourist behavior

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 19516 KB

Open AccessArticle

Tourist Perception Characteristics of the Rural Tourism Resource Supply System—A Case Study of Key Tourism Villages in Beijing

by Ningxin Zhong, Ying Cao and Chuning Wang

Sustainability 2026, 18(13), 6509; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18136509 - 26 Jun 2026

Viewed by 441

Abstract

In the context of global rural sustainable development, tourist perceptions play a crucial role in rural tourism development. This study employs GIS, Geodetector, and LDA topic modeling approaches, taking key tourism villages in Beijing as the research object, to analyze the characteristics of tourist perceptions within the rural tourism resource supply system in the suburban areas of Beijing. The results indicate that, regarding homogeneous supply, tourists exhibit strong perceptions of the Great Wall Cultural Belt, elevation, distance to the city center, and intangible cultural heritage. These perceptions are influenced by visitor origins, coverage range, and the well-established experience model of “regional culture + landscape.” Concerning heterogeneous supply, tourists develop perceptions of landscape and geomorphology, historic sites and relics, pastoral landscapes and folk customs, outdoor recreation, leisure and consumption, and comprehensive categories, mainly shaped by the complementary cognition of rural authenticity and modernity. In terms of their relationship, homogeneous supply provides the foundational basis for the region, whereas heterogeneous supply contributes to the formation of distinctive village characteristics. Based on these findings, strategies are proposed to optimize rural tourism development in suburban Beijing, offering guidance for its sustainable development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management)

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15 pages, 334 KB

Open AccessArticle

Perceptions of Home Concept Among British Homeowners in Primary and Secondary Homes: The Case of Ortaca

by Onur Akbulut, Yakin Ekin and Tunahan Celik

Sustainability 2026, 18(11), 5266; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18115266 - 24 May 2026

Viewed by 584

Abstract

This study addresses second-home ownership not merely as a form of tourism accommodation or real estate investment, but as a home-building process intersecting with local life, belonging, daily practices, and sustainable destination governance. While the economic, environmental, and community impacts of second-homes have been extensively discussed in the literature, how individuals perceive their primary and secondary homes differently in terms of the bodily, material, vibrant, imaginary, and emotional dimensions of home has been examined in a limited number of studies. This research analyzes paired data obtained through a two-stage online questionnaire from 223 British participants who own a secondary home in the Mugla–Ortaca region and a primary home in the United Kingdom. The 18-item Home Scale was used as the measurement tool. Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability–validity analyses, measurement invariance, and paired-samples t-tests were applied. The findings show that the bodily home difference was not statistically significant at the conventional 0.05 threshold, whereas primary-home scores were significantly higher in the material, vibrant, imaginary, and emotional home dimensions. The small to small-medium effect sizes suggest that the results should be interpreted cautiously as an asymmetrical home-building process rather than as evidence of a hierarchical superiority of the primary home. The study proposes a planning approach that does not view second home owners as merely transient consumers in sustainable coastal–rural destinations, but rather considers social sustainability, service planning, seasonality management, and local community engagement channels together. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management)

21 pages, 1077 KB

Open AccessArticle

Place Integration of Migrant Tourism Entrepreneurs in Rural Destinations: A Social Capital Perspective

by Yating Li, Chao Yuan, Xiaoyi Liu and Xiang Kong

Sustainability 2026, 18(9), 4562; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18094562 - 5 May 2026

Viewed by 1107

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the rapid expansion of rural tourism, an increasing number of migrant tourism entrepreneurs (MTEs) are moving from urban to rural areas. The integration of MTEs is crucial for both business sustainability and rural development. Using Hongcun village as a case study, this study adopts qualitative methods, including participant observation and semi-structured interviews, to explore the dynamic process of MTEs’ place integration from a social capital perspective. The findings suggest that MTEs’ place integration is manifested through four dimensions, namely economic embeddedness, social interaction, cultural acceptance, and emotional integration. Moreover, place integration and social capital form a mutually reinforcing cycle: integration practices generate localized social capital, which in turn facilitates deeper integration. The study also identifies that selective interaction leads to network stratification, highlighting the potential “dark side” of social capital. These findings suggest that effective integration depends not only on the accumulation of social capital but also on maintaining a dynamic balance among different types of social relationships. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management)

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22 pages, 2494 KB

Open AccessArticle

Dream or Opportunity? Urban–Rural Migration and Rural Tourism Entrepreneurship Through the Lens of Istanbul’s Tourism Workforce

by Sultan Nazmiye Kılıç

Sustainability 2026, 18(4), 1873; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18041873 - 12 Feb 2026

Viewed by 979

Abstract

The rising challenges of urban life have led to a surge in migration from cities to rural areas. This research aimed to investigate the potential for migration to rural areas and for rural tourism entrepreneurship among individuals working in Istanbul’s tourism sector, one of Türkiye’s major cities. Using a qualitative approach, data were gathered from 105 participants through a semi-structured questionnaire. In addition, thematic analysis examined how push–pull–mooring factors, entrepreneurial ecosystem, entrepreneurial capital, perceived opportunities, and barriers influenced participants’ decisions regarding urban-to-rural migration and rural tourism entrepreneurship. The findings indicate that motivations were mainly driven by opportunity- and lifestyle-focused perspectives rather than necessity. The study highlights urban identity as an anchor and offers a valuable theoretical contribution that sets this research apart from purely economic analyses. As a result, tourism professionals with entrepreneurial capital (human, cultural, economic, social, and symbolic) present a significant opportunity for rural revitalization and tourism development in the areas to which they relocate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management)

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19 pages, 4349 KB

Open AccessArticle

Digital Tourism Empowers the Dynamic Transformation of Destination Spatial Forms: A Case Study of Mountain Villages in Eastern China

by Jun Qi and Xiaolei Ding

Sustainability 2026, 18(1), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18010105 - 22 Dec 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1396

Abstract

With the deep integration of digital technology and the tourism industry, the transformation of the spatial form of smart tourism destinations and the research on their system structure have become the focus. This study adopts a mixed research approach, taking villages in the mountainous areas of southeastern China as examples, and collects empirical data through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and literature collection. This study draws on structuralist location theory to construct a four-dimensional spatial analysis model of natural environment, production economy, social norms and cultural values and incorporates a historical perspective to make up for the limitations of this theory in explaining regional dynamic changes caused by the lack of a time dimension. This study finds that digital tourism provides external resources such as the consumer market, tourism capital and information technology prompting the reconfiguration of the rural internal system. By absorbing external resources and upgrading traditional industries, rural areas have formed a more diversified, inclusive, and dynamically balanced spatial form. Furthermore, phenomena such as villagers’ relocation, e-commerce employment and local tea-growing knowledge indicate that certain predicaments still exist in the construction of digital tourism. This research can provide practical references for the development and spatial optimization of rural digital tourism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management)

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28 pages, 4862 KB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Carbon Footprint of Rural Tourism Based on Life Cycle Assessment: A Case Study of a Village in Guangdong, China

by Jiajia Wan, Pengkai Wang, Mengqi Wang, Yi Huang and Jiwen Luo

Sustainability 2025, 17(14), 6495; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17146495 - 16 Jul 2025

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2607

Abstract

In the context of China’s “dual carbon” goals and rural revitalization strategy, scientifically assessing the carbon footprint of rural tourism is essential for promoting the sustainable development of the tourism sector. This study presents the first case analysis of the rural tourism carbon footprint in Guangdong Province, using Village B as a representative example. A tourism carbon footprint model for village B was developed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Based on empirical survey data, the tourism carbon footprint of Village B in 2024 was estimated at 7731.23 t, with a per capita carbon footprint of 38.656 kg/p/a. Among the contributing sectors, transportation accounted for the largest share (85.18%), followed by catering (6.93%) and accommodation (5.10%). As an ecotourism-oriented rural destination, Village B exhibited a relatively low carbon footprint from recreational activities. To facilitate the low-carbon transition of rural tourism in the study area and accelerate progress toward the “dual carbon” targets, it is recommended to optimize public transport infrastructure, promote green mobility, enhance the energy efficiency of rural dining and accommodation, and raise awareness of low-carbon tourism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management)

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19 pages, 956 KB

Open AccessArticle

Fostering Sustainable Rural Tourism Post-COVID-19: Determinants of Revisit Intention Among Costa Rican Tourists

by Marlen Treviño-Villalobos, Luis Felipe Sancho-Jiménez, Mauricio Carvache-Franco, Ana Gabriela Víquez-Paniagua, Orly Carvache-Franco and Wilmer Carvache-Franco

Sustainability 2025, 17(12), 5231; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17125231 - 6 Jun 2025

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2833

Abstract

This study aims to identify the factors that influence the behavior of Costa Rican tourists visiting rural destinations after the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby contributing to sustainable rural tourism development. The study applies data analysis using the partial least squares (PLS) regression technique to evaluate a reflective measurement model, based on data collected via a questionnaire. The evidence indicates that for the analyzed destination, the most significant factors influencing the behavior of Costa Rican tourists visiting rural destinations after the COVID-19 pandemic are learning, ICTs, and, in particular, relaxation. Although biosecurity and social influence do not affect the intention to return, these findings highlight the crucial role of learning and ICTs in the tourist experience and loyalty to the destination. This study contributes novel empirical insights to the still limited post-pandemic research on rural tourism, by providing current information on changes in tourist behavior in a specific post-pandemic context. Additionally, it focuses on a popular rural tourist destination in Costa Rica, offering a deeper understanding of a less explored tourism segment, as most previous studies have examined urban or international tourism. Specifically, this research addresses the gap regarding domestic tourist behavior in rural areas using a quantitative approach (PLS), revealing key drivers of return intention. The findings may also be relevant for rural destinations facing similar post-pandemic challenges in other countries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural and Rural Areas: Stakeholders, Tourists and Destination Management)

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