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Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel

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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: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 34051

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Umer Zaman

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Guest Editor

Global Convergence Business, Endicott College of International Studies, Woosong University, Daejeon 34606, Republic of Korea
Interests: sustainable tourism; regenerative travel; tourism marketing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Stuart J. Barnes

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Guest Editor

Marketing, Operations and Systems Group, Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle, UK
Interests: sustainable tourism; tourism marketing; marketing analytics; social networking

Prof. Dr. Jerome Agrusa

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Guest Editor

School of Travel Industry Management, Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Interests: sustainable tourism; hospitality management; tourism management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global travel resurgence may not have arrived yet, however, the rising volume of fully vaccinated travelers is reopening international borders, bringing fragile opportunities for travel within the era of slowly declining new COVID-19 variants. As we move forward towards a sense of normalization, tourist destinations remain challenged to adopt regenerative policies and practices to enable travel to become more meaningful, as opposed to being less harmful. The COVID-19 pandemic has alarmingly exposed weaknesses in our management systems and collective efforts to repair and replenish the damage caused to tourism attractions (e.g., priceless world heritage sites) and over-touristed destinations. Unfortunately, sustainability-focused tourism policies and actions now seem futile and/or insufficient to restore the natural environment (e.g., deteriorating coral reefs and green spaces) at various host destinations. Hence, regenerative principles and recovery strategies have been proposed to strategically attract tourism-led contributions whose benefits outweigh their resources consumed. Leaving the destination better (than before) after a visit is plausible if we step up from sustainable to regenerative travel behaviors.

While global tourism authorities and experts have speculated that international tourism will fully recover to its pre-pandemic level by 2023, practitioners and scholars are aggressively exploring ways to innovate tourism through regeneration, and hope to make it even better than before. Hence, this Special Issue focuses on making significant contributions to the scarce literature and rare empirical evidence on regenerative travel and tourism, as well as expanding the existing body of knowledge on sustainable tourism. Conceptual papers and empirical research on (1) regenerative travel, (2) purposeful travel, (3) responsible travel, (4) green mapping, (5) eco-conscious travel, (6) carbon-neutral travel, (7) net-zero travel, and (8), resilient tourism, all within the domain of interrelated and contemporary topics focusing on regenerative tourism, are welcomed. Lastly, this Special Issue provides an excellent opportunity to the large community of tourism scholars who wish to publish their novel/original research ideas to a global audience in a timely manner, based on our quick editorial decisions/processing and swift peer-review and expert evaluations.

Dr. Umer Zaman
Prof. Dr. Stuart J. Barnes
Prof. Dr. Jerome Agrusa
Guest Editors

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Keywords

regenerative travel
purposeful travel
responsible travel
green mapping
eco-conscious travel
carbon neutral travel
net-zero travel
resilient tourism
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4934 KB

Open AccessArticle

Prioritizing Sustainability in Ethno-Tourism: An AHP Assessment of Rural Villages in the Balkans

by Maja Borlinič Gačnik, Antonio Pelaez-Verdet, Alfonso Cerezo-Medina, Boris Prevolšek, Črtomir Rozman and Andrej Škraba

Sustainability 2025, 17(22), 9980; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17229980 - 8 Nov 2025

Viewed by 265

Abstract

Ethno-tourism is increasingly recognized as a driver of rural development and cultural preservation, particularly in the Balkans, where ethno-villages represent important centers of heritage, identity, and community revitalization. Despite its significance, the systematic assessment of sustainability in ethno-tourism remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to evaluate the sustainability performance of thirteen ethno-villages across Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. Data were collected through interviews with owners and managers, complemented by benchmarking and SWOT analyses, to develop a multi-criteria model incorporating five dimensions: economic performance, environmental sustainability, infrastructure and management, tourism attractiveness, and socio-cultural aspects. The results highlight economic performance as the most influential factor, followed by environmental sustainability and infrastructure, while tourism attractiveness and socio-cultural aspects had relatively lower importance. The ranking of villages revealed Drvengrad Mećavnik (Serbia) as the most sustainable destination, with robustness confirmed through sensitivity analyses. This study represents one of the first comprehensive, multi-criteria evaluations of ethno-village sustainability in the Balkans. The results demonstrate that long-term success depends on balancing financial viability with ecological practices, infrastructural investment, and cultural preservation. This research provides evidence-based recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders, and highlights the value of multi-criteria approaches for sustainable tourism planning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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22 pages, 5926 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation and Enhancement of Landscape Resilience in Mountain–Water Towns from the Perspective of Cultural and Tourism Integration: Case Study of Yinji Town, Wugang City

by Huaijing Wu, Shuo Liu, Hu Li, Wenqi Wang, Lijuan Niu and Hong Zhang

Sustainability 2025, 17(21), 9806; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219806 - 3 Nov 2025

Viewed by 522

Abstract

Rural tourism in China is advancing rapidly, with cultural and tourism integration (CTI) becoming a vital pathway for sustainability. Mountain–water towns, given their special geographical conditions, face numerous challenges in CTI development, which need to enhance landscape resilience. This study proposes the theoretical framework of landscape resilience in mountain–water towns from the perspective of CTI. Taking Yinji Town of Wugang City as an example, it constructs a resilience evaluation system including three dimensions: cultural landscape, natural landscape, and social systems. The study uses the AHP–Entropy Weight combined method to determine indicator weights. Indicator scores are obtained through field research and GIS analysis, which are substituted into the preparedness–vulnerability resilience model to calculate resilience level, and the Jenks Natural Breaks method is used for level classification. Finally, the Obstacle Degree Model is applied to identify the primary obstacle factors affecting landscape resilience. The results indicate the following: (1) The average landscape resilience (RI) score of the 19 villages in Yinji Town is 0.84 (RI < 1), indicating a generally low level. Two villages are in the high-level range, while four villages are in the low-level range. (2) Cultural landscape resilience is the primary weakness, with the lowest average score (0.70), while natural landscape resilience is the highest (1.03). (3) Major obstacles include such as the number of cultural inheritors, the degree of susceptibility to natural disasters, and the distance to core mountain–water resources. The study contributes a CTI-based evaluation framework and methodology for assessing landscape resilience, offering enhancement strategies through increased preparedness and reduced vulnerability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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23 pages, 1798 KB

Open AccessArticle

Thematic Evolution and Transmission Mechanisms of China’s Rural Tourism Policy: A Multi-Level Governance Framework for Sustainable Development

by Haoqian Hu, Yifen Yin, Yingchong Xie, Jingwen Cai, Chunning Wang and Wenshuo Zhang

Sustainability 2025, 17(20), 9187; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17209187 - 16 Oct 2025

Viewed by 616

Abstract

Rural tourism is a key engine for sustainable development, elevated to a strategic level under China’s “Rural Revitalization Strategy”, creating a complex multi-level governance (MLG) policy system whose internal mechanisms are not fully understood. This study aims to analyze the thematic structure, spatio-temporal evolution, and transmission mechanisms of China’s rural tourism policy across central, provincial, and city/county levels. We applied BERTopic topic modeling and spatio-temporal analysis to a corpus of 1174 policy documents from 2005 to 2024. The results reveal a “centrally guided Type I governance” model with a clear functional division: the central level acts as a “top-level strategic designer”, the provincial level as a “key regional hub” for adaptation, and the city/county level as the “frontline of policy implementation”. We identified a vertical transmission chain characterized by a 1–2-year lag, alongside spatial differentiation driven by regional resource endowments at the provincial level and functional needs at the city/county level. This study concludes that China’s rural tourism governance framework is an efficient synergistic system that combines strong central guidance with dynamic local adaptation, providing empirical support for MLG theory in a unitary state and offering insights for optimizing policy coordination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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16 pages, 1808 KB

Open AccessArticle

Bridging Research and Practice in Sustainable Tourism: The Case of Spain

by Joana Longo-Sarachaga and María del Carmen Paradinas Márquez

Sustainability 2025, 17(19), 8570; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17198570 - 24 Sep 2025

Viewed by 739

Abstract

Given the tourism industry’s pivotal role in the global economy and its substantial environmental and socio-cultural impacts, advancing sustainable tourism development has become imperative. While existing research has largely focused on theoretical perspectives and sectoral organizations have issued best-practice guidelines, few studies have examined how industry professionals actively influence and implement sustainability measures. Consequently, research that bridges theoretical analysis with practical application remains scarce. This research addresses this gap by proposing a strategic action plan to guide Spain’s tourism sector toward a more sustainable model. Using a mixed-methods approach, it combines insights from a Delphi panel of experts with an in-depth review of scholarly and professional literature. The findings lead to a set of targeted initiatives aligned with the eight axes of Spain’s Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2030, aimed at strengthening the social, economic, environmental, and institutional dimensions of national tourism development. The expert panel emphasized the need for stronger regulatory standards and improved public–private collaboration as critical enablers of sustainability. This study also identifies key structural shortcomings within the sector and provides actionable policy recommendations to support stakeholders and policymakers in advancing sustainable tourism practices in Spain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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19 pages, 3223 KB

Open AccessArticle

Tourism-Led Rural Gentrification in Multi-Conservation Rural Settlements: Yazıköy/Datça Case

by Begüm Sözen and Sibel Ecemiş Kılıç

Sustainability 2025, 17(18), 8439; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17188439 - 19 Sep 2025

Viewed by 891

Abstract

Yazıköy, a rural settlement in southwestern Türkiye situated within overlapping cultural and natural protection zones, provides a critical case for analyzing the implications of heritage regulations on village life. This study examines how conservation policies shape livelihoods, land use practices, and community participation. Employing a mixed-methods design, the research draws on 114 household surveys and five semi-structured interviews conducted in 2024 with residents, local officials, and business owners. Findings show that heritage designation stimulates tourism, creating income and employment opportunities while simultaneously imposing regulatory constraints that delay infrastructure improvements and restrict new construction. Rising land values, the conversion of agricultural land for tourism-related uses, and the involvement of external investors illustrate the early stages of tourism-driven rural transformation. Moreover, age emerges as a critical determinant of participation: younger residents engage more actively with conservation and tourism initiatives, whereas older inhabitants experience barriers stemming from limited resources and access to information. Overall, conservation regimes safeguard cultural identity but constrain local agency. Reconciling protection imperatives with community-defined development requires inclusive planning and participatory governance. The Yazıköy case highlights how heritage policy, shaped by overlapping conservation regulations and tourism pressures, intersects with broader dynamics of rural gentrification, providing insights relevant to other rural heritage contexts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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19 pages, 1293 KB

Open AccessArticle

Seizing Momentum on Climate Action: Nexus between Net-Zero Commitment Concern, Destination Competitiveness, Influencer Marketing, and Regenerative Tourism Intention

by Umer Zaman

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5213; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065213 - 15 Mar 2023

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5091

Abstract

Embracing net-zero principles and planet-friendly regenerative tourism practices can reduce our carbon footprint and increase momentum toward carbon neutral. The present study explored the effects of the net-zero commitment concern on regenerative tourism intention, including the moderating influence of destination competitiveness and influencer marketing on this relationship. Drawing on a survey of international expat tourists (N = 540) and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the present study offers ground-breaking empirical evidence on the significantly positive influence of the net-zero commitment concern on regenerative tourism intention. Importantly, the PLS-SEM estimations also validated that destination competitiveness and influencer marketing strengthened the effects of the net-zero commitment concern on regenerative tourism intention through significantly positive moderations. The present study implications offer strategic guidelines and an advancement in prior knowledge on the net-zero commitment concern, destination competitiveness, influencer marketing, and regenerative tourism intention with an aim to increase the collective global efforts toward climate action. Moreover, the present study used prominent theories (i.e., the theory of planned behavior, game theory, resilience theory, and social learning theory) to guide future investigations on the complex nexus between net-zero commitment, destination competitiveness, influencer marketing, and regenerative tourism intention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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20 pages, 884 KB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Regenerative Tourism Using Media Richness Theory: Emerging Role of Immersive Journalism, Metaverse-Based Promotion, Eco-Literacy, and Pro-Environmental Behavior

by Xiaozhe Hui, Syed Hassan Raza, Sanan Waheed Khan, Umer Zaman and Emenyeonu C. Ogadimma

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5046; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065046 - 13 Mar 2023

Cited by 54 | Viewed by 9120

Abstract

The evolving tourism industry and increasing number of travelers are not only raising environmental concerns about tourism sites, but also posing challenges for local communities. In this scenario, the notion and agenda for sustainable tourism are widely criticized due to their limited scope and emphasis on creating a balance between economic and adverse environmental and communal benefits. In response, the call for a necessary paradigm transformation has become intense. Consequently, a new approach—regenerative tourism—has been developed to create awareness about pro-environmental behavior to satisfy the primary needs of the community. Regenerative tourism supports the quality of life of local people. Therefore, there is a great need to promote eco-literacy through innovative and better audience experience-laden communication strategies, such as immersive journalism and metaverse-based promotional content. However, little is known about how these future technologies interplay with psychological and social mechanisms to enhance regenerative tourism intention. Drawing an analogy from pro-environmental theory and media richness theory, this research intends to identify whether virtual, augmented reality merger (i.e., immersive journalism), and metaverse-based environmental delineations may contribute to educating tourists and lead to regenerative tourism intention. This research was carried out using a cross-sectional online survey that collected data from 776 digital media users from Pakistan who plan to visit a destination or have done so previously. The results from the data, based on structural equation modeling, suggested that immersive journalism and metaverse-based regenerative tourism promotion are communication strategies that effectively enhance eco-literacy and lead to pro-environmental behavior. However, dispositional empathy has critical moderating implications; the greater the extent of the empathy concerns that individuals uphold, the stronger the eco-literacy and pro-environmental behavior. Finally, regenerative tourism intention can be predicted by these antecedents effectively. Therefore, these pioneer results confirmed that innovative technology-driven media content can augment awareness of regenerative tourism activities and transform travelers’ intention to adopt regenerative practices during destination visits. This research suggests strategic guidelines for organizations and governments to implement practical, innovative, and communicative tools that support adopting regenerative practices among prospective travelers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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19 pages, 1066 KB

Open AccessArticle

The Mediating Roles of Economic, Socio-Cultural, and Environmental Factors to Predict Tourism Market Development by Means of Regenerative Travel: An Infrastructural Perspective of China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

by Maria Zulfaqar, Shahid Bashir, Samer Mohammed Ahmed Yaghmour, Jamshid Ali Turi and Musaib Hussain

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5025; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065025 - 12 Mar 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4389

Abstract

Even though the significance of the China–Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) is frequently discussed on various international forums, its economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts in a geographically constrained area have not yet been studied precisely. Consequently, the goal of this study is to look into how CPEC Infrastructural Development (CPECID) would regenerate the tourism market in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), a Pakistani administrative territory. The basic data gathered via a convenience sample strategy is subjected to a quantitative analysis approach. In total, 336 inhabitants of GB participated in a closed-ended online survey that was used to gather data. The results showed that CPECID has a favorable influence on regenerative tourist growth and development in the area and that this link is partially mediated by economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts. The study’s conclusions have important implications for authorities creating regenerative tourist promotion plans, in addition to adding to the body of knowledge on tourism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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27 pages, 1345 KB

Open AccessArticle

How Tourist Experience Quality, Perceived Price Reasonableness and Regenerative Tourism Involvement Influence Tourist Satisfaction: A Study of Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia

by Anis Ur Rehman, Mazhar Abbas, Faraz Ahmad Abbasi and Shoaib Khan

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1340; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021340 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 10025

Abstract

This study attempts to examine the interactions between the tourist experience quality, perceived price reasonableness, and regenerative tourism involvement variables and tourist satisfaction by taking into account the moderating effects of tourist destination loyalty and destination image. The survey was circulated among international tourists visiting the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the data collected. The results showed significant and positive effects of enjoyment, tourist destination loyalty, and destination image on tourist satisfaction. However, the findings show that escapism, relaxation, involvement, perceived price reasonableness, and regenerative tourism involvement did not have a direct impact on tourist satisfaction. Further, it was found that the destination image moderates the relationship between regenerative tourism involvement and tourist satisfaction. The results also reveal that tourist destination loyalty significantly moderates the relationship between perceived price reasonableness and tourist satisfaction. The influence of regenerative tourism involvement on tourist satisfaction has not been addressed in prior research, to the best of authors’ knowledge, and is, therefore, the unique contribution of this study. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Moving beyond Sustainable Tourism Rediscovery through Regenerative Travel)

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