Special Issue "Sustainable Tourism in International Context: Solutions during and after the Global Pandemic Crisis"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Pantea Foroudi
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Business School, Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT, UK
Interests: consumer behavior; retailing; hospitality marketing; consumer perception; branding
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Maria Palazzo
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Political and Communication Sciences, University of Salerno, 84084 Fisciano SA, Italy
Interests: corporate communication; marketing; branding; management; arts and heritage marketing; CSR sustainable development
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals
Dr. Dan-Cristian Dabija
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: marketing; sustainable marketing; green marketing; green retailing; generational marketing; international retail marketing
Special Issues and Collections in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global tourist arrivals have increased from 25 million internationally in 1950 to 278m in 1980, 527m in 1995, 1.32 billion in 2017, and are expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030. How do we make global tourism sustainable, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic? The concept of tourism sustainability is progressively becoming a complex issue in relation to how companies, stakeholders, and governments meet the ever-growing demands and opportunities on a global scale. This approach, considered as an environmental management tool during the 1980s, is now appreciated as a crucial and dominant factor in modern business discourse. Furthermore, this issue has become an area of study that has been deepened with interconnected theories and approaches, such as in ethics, social issues management, green tourism, cause-related tourism, public policy, stakeholder management, and tourism accountability. These are only a few aspects used to illustrate the phenomena associated with sustainable tourism, thus making it a very multifaceted phenomenon.

Sustainable tourism, in fact, should integrate environmental, social, economic, cultural issues into its global operations. Sustainable tourism should be able to raise the collective consciousness and approach the individual consciousness towards climate change, pollution caused by tourism, atmosphere, water, wildlife, habitat, human, and tourism. Different consumer generations, especially Millennials and Zers, are becoming more and more concerned about sustainable issues and ensuring a sustainable society; their consumption habits and behaviors are becoming increasingly sustainable, as are their concerns regarding the environment, decreasing pollution, and for healthy food, thus allowing future generations similar access to resources as the present ones (Dabija et al., 2019). Young consumers are more reliant on sustainable development goals, being willing not only to sacrifice time and money for the sake of the planet but also to have their own contribution toward ensuring the prosperity of society and the planet. However, today’s challenge is “how to think beyond and outside current limitations to understand how to use and manage planetary resources, not just for the short term but with a view to future need” (Sustainable Development Goals, 2018) as well as how the tourism sector will recover after the global pandemic crisis and how will it be able to reinvent itself taking into consideration the global sustainable development goals.

The purpose of this call for papers is to address global economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainable development in tourism through policies, best practices, strategies, and initiatives with all stakeholders, including indigenous people, local communities, visitors, industry and government. We aim to (i) understand the most important elements of sustainable tourism and connections among human development and the environment, (ii) how protecting the planet and maintaining resources could support the environment toward reaching inclusive and sustainable economic growth at the level of local destinations; promoting social inclusiveness, creating employment and aiming at poverty reduction in the tourism field; attaining resource efficiency, endorsing environmental protection and taking under control climate change; spreading cultural values, sustaining cultural diversity and raising awareness of heritage’s value; providing opportunities for mutual understanding, peace and security, considering tourism as a powerful tool for soft diplomacy; sustainable tourism strategies during/after the global pandemic crises; young consumers and their preference for sustainable tourism practices and initiatives. All these aims, if reached, will have the effect of decreasing the influence of the entire tourist sector on climate change and radically decreasing the strong reliance on non-renewable sources of energy since their tourism-related consumption has negative ecological consequences (UN, 2017; 2018; 2019) but, in concert, they will also help to break down cultural barriers and build bridges between tourists and hosts (SDG, tourism4development2019.org).

The correct consideration of the existing bonds between tourism, culture, economy, and the natural background is crucial in promoting successful sustainable tourism (Lee and Brahmasrene, 2013). For these reasons, it is important to find stakeholders able to spread through all kind of online and offline communication tools the sustainable tourism’s teachings, hoping that more and more people/stakeholders/visitors will be prone to following the approach and to put its principles into practice.

Recognizing the complexity and plurality at the heart of the global sustainable tourism discipline, this call for papers will fill a gap in the market by posing a number of original research questions on the intrinsic nature of sustainable tourism and to address gaps in knowledge in innovative ways to generate transformational change. In addition, it seeks to offer multiple, often competing answers to those questions by reviewing, in a different and integrated perspective, dominant existing themes with the literature and subjecting them to critical scrutiny through a multifocal perspective.

In view of the above, the proposed Special Issue aims to include the following topics and questions of interest, amongst others, in the cross-cultural study of the impact of sustainable tourism:

  • Sustainable tourism strategies after the COVID 19 pandemic
  • Human dimensions of environmental change
  • Consumer generations and sustainable tourism development
  • People, energy, and society
  • Planet, people, product, packaging, pricing, and promotion (6Ps) applied to tourism
  • Place tourism and smart growth
  • Place heritage
  • Place branding, community, image, and reputation
  • Public and brand engagement to sustainable tourism
  • Climate change, environmental auditing, and tourism branding strategy
  • Technology and innovation
  • Life cycle thinking and the circular economy
  • Waste management – reduction, recycling, and resource
  • (e)Healthcare and wellbeing
  • Digital tourism
  • Environmental law
  • Ecosystems and global change
  • Transitions to a low carbon economy
  • Global political ecology
  • Ethical implications

We would like to see profound and rigorous theoretical and managerial contributions that substantially advance and challenge existing theories used in global tourism and business research, performance, and competitive advantage. As such, articles must be able to demonstrate, clearly, a significant contribution to sustainable tourism management scholarship.

We have no a priori preferences regarding the theoretical stance or methodological approach. We welcome papers using traditional methodologies, survey, qualitative research as well as emerging innovative approaches including the use of algorithms, contrarian case analysis, and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

Dr. Pantea Foroudi
Dr. Maria Palazzo
Dr. Dan-Cristian Dabija
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 papers will be 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 1900 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
  • international context
  • COVID-19
  • global pandemic crisis
  • sustainability
  • tourism

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Article
Past and Future Trends in Medical Spas: A Co-Word Analysis
Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9646; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179646 (registering DOI) - 27 Aug 2021
Viewed by 140
Abstract
The present paper consists of a co-word analysis of the previous research in the medical spa field published in the Web Science Core Collection database. The study’s main purpose is to identify the past trends in the medical spa field from the tourist [...] Read more.
The present paper consists of a co-word analysis of the previous research in the medical spa field published in the Web Science Core Collection database. The study’s main purpose is to identify the past trends in the medical spa field from the tourist and medical perspectives and to anticipate the future research focuses in the field. In this regard, the article is based on four objectives that create a descriptive picture of the research in the medical spa area, such as (i) studying the current state of the art, (ii) analysing the most visible articles in the field, (iii) highlighting the leading research interests in medical spa research and (iv) anticipating new possible research trends that link cost-effective medical spa activity to COVID-19 post-recovery treatments. A total of 627 articles, published between 1997 and 2021 (March), were analysed, and the data were interpreted using the VOS Viewer software. The study results indicate that high interest in medical spas started to become observable in 2015, when the funding bodies became interested in this field and began supporting publishing and research regarding medical spas. The main subjects investigated in previous studies were related to the specific issues of the industry and tourism activity. They also considered the medical approach of the spa and the use of natural resources in treating different diseases. Except for these main interests, since 2020, it has started to become evident that another approach in the published studies may lead to a new trend in research. The study results show that researchers have begun to investigate the possibility of using medical spa resorts to aid post-COVID-19 recovery, which is considered a cost-efficient option for completing traditional treatment. This new focus in research proves that the medical spa field can rebrand itself as playing a supportive role in national healthcare systems in countries with a long tradition in balneotherapy, and gives a new developing trajectory to the medical spa industry. Full article
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Article
Can the Diffusion Modes of Green Technology Affect the Enterprise’s Technology Diffusion Network towards Sustainable Development of Hospitality and Tourism Industry in China?
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9266; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169266 - 18 Aug 2021
Viewed by 215
Abstract
In the post-epidemic era, encouraging enterprises to implement green technology innovation in the hospitality and tourism industry is important, which can reduce resource consumption, decrease environmental pollution and promote sustainable industrial development. Based on evolutionary game theory and Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM), [...] Read more.
In the post-epidemic era, encouraging enterprises to implement green technology innovation in the hospitality and tourism industry is important, which can reduce resource consumption, decrease environmental pollution and promote sustainable industrial development. Based on evolutionary game theory and Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM), this paper develops an evolutionary game model between focal and marginal enterprises and analyzes the dynamic evolutionary process and the steady state of the evolutionary strategy of the major stakeholders. The impact of different technology diffusion modes on the enterprise’s technology diffusion network is quantitatively verified using ERGM and MPNet software. The results show that the neighborhood effect has a positive impact on the technology diffusion network of enterprises in the hospitality and tourism industry, the partner effect has a negative impact on the technology diffusion network of enterprises, and the social circle effect has a significant positive effect on the technology diffusion network of enterprises in the hospitality and tourism industry. This study can help governments to develop more targeted policies that can serve as a basis for enterprises to develop dynamic strategies and can further facilitate the implementation and diffusion of green technology innovations in the hospitality and tourism industry. Full article
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Article
Harmonization of Green Motives and Green Business Strategies towards Sustainable Development of Hospitality and Tourism Industry: Green Environmental Policies
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6592; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126592 - 09 Jun 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 598
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the direct impact of green motives (GM) and green business strategies (GBS) on sustainable development (SD) in the hospitality sector. It explores the direct links between GM and SD. Moreover, the mediating role of GBS between GM and [...] Read more.
This study aims to investigate the direct impact of green motives (GM) and green business strategies (GBS) on sustainable development (SD) in the hospitality sector. It explores the direct links between GM and SD. Moreover, the mediating role of GBS between GM and SD was tested. The research relies on the stakeholders’ theory, which states that the organization’s success and future development depends on the satisfaction of stakeholders. Data were collected from 451 top managers and owners from 54 hotels (5, 4 and 3-star hotels) operating in Pakistan. Quantitative analysis including correlation, regression, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation model techniques were used. The mediating role of GBS was assessed using the bootstrapping method. Results proved that GM and GBS enable hotel industry to achieve the targets of SD. Finding also proved that GBS act as a mediator between the GM and SD link. The hotel industry needs attention to achieve the targets of SD and customers’ inclination towards more hygienic and environmental issues after the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic situation has forced the hotel industry to adapt GBS initiated through GM. The current research articulated this upcoming issue and offered a SD model for the hotel industry. Full article
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