New Sustainability Narratives, Measures and Alternatives in Tourism Destinations

Dear Colleagues,

The interpretation and analysis of sustainability in tourism destinations is undoubtedly one of most visible themes within the principal academic journals and international academic events in the tourism field. However, sustainability narratives and practices are changing so fast that new conceptual and methodological frameworks are needed to capture their diverse dimensions and implications.

Firstly, due to the transformations deriving from the impact of information and communication technologies and, in particular, the emergence of the collaborative economy, there are new narratives and counternarratives on sustainability in the context of tourism destinations. In this respect, the positioning of collectives and stakeholders that until now has not been considered in this context is increasingly important, particularly in the case of social and neighbourhood movements defending residents’ interests. In addition, the positioning of the traditional tourism industry towards sustainability had diverged progressively from that projected by collaborative economy platforms. Moreover, this issue is being driven by the increasing use of social networks that have become the main spaces for debate (and conflict) surrounding the concept of tourism sustainability. There is also a growing academic interest in the performativity of tourism in public space and its recuperation by neighbourhood movements, as well as the problems and possible solutions in terms of the relative accessibility of such spaces.

Secondly, the emergence of these new narratives necessitates new approaches and innovative analyses of the impact of tourism activity on destinations. As such, it is important to move beyond traditional approaches to destination carrying capacity and opt for new research that analyses key aspects such as the impact of tourism supply growth on the rental and purchase housing markets, residential and commercial gentrification and ‘touristification’ processes and the potential destruction of the social fabric of local communities. Other problems that require attention include the displacement of commercial activities and the often-precarious nature of labour conditions in the tourism industry.

Thirdly, from all of these challenges arise new public sector and other responses that are linked directly and indirectly to sustainability. In this sense, analysis of new forms of governance that articulate tourism (and related sectorial) policy in destinations is becoming increasingly important, especially in relation to monitoring the impact of urban plans that are implemented on a local scale and where the genuine participation of social movements becomes increasingly relevant. Additionally, the notion of social sustainability implies that new regulatory instruments are needed in different policy areas that are directly related to tourism (housing, urban and regional planning, and employment, among others). Finally, there is a clear need to understand how destination sustainability is affected by the development of new activities that coexist and intersect with tourism. This is particularly the case in the context of the collaborative economy, in response to emerging proposals for alternative models of tourism supply, such as de-commodified housing or restaurant projects, cooperative platforms or new alternatives stemming from the social and solidarity economy.

For this Special Issue, we invite paper contributions related to any of the topics outlined above that relate clearly to new narratives, measures and alternatives in sustainability in tourism, either from a quantitative, qualitative or mixed/multi-method perspectives. Innovative, critical and ground-breaking contributions would be especially welcomed, as would novel proposals that have a clear impact on tourism destination realities that involve a real and positive social, economic or environmental transformation.

Prof. Dr. Lluís Garay Tamajón
Prof. Dr. Julie Wilson
Prof. Dr. Soledad Morales
Guest Editors

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• Emerging narratives and counter-narratives of sustainability
• Narratives and social networks
• Collaborative economy
• Social movements
• Governance
• Public policies and regulatory frameworks
• Labour market and conditions
• Performativity and use of public space
• New approaches to the management of sustainability
• Residential and commercial gentrification
• Power (in)balances and (in)equalities: distribution and inter-relationships
• New values and tendencies in sustainable tourism consumption