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Tourism and Hospitality
Special Issues
Sustainability of Tourism Destinations
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Sustainability of Tourism Destinations

A special issue of Tourism and Hospitality (ISSN 2673-5768).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1445

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cândida Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CITUR, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
2. ESHT, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Interests: technology and information systems; digital marketing; ICT for tourism; artificial intelligence; ICT for education; crowdsourcing innovation; digital skills; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mónica Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. CITUR, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
2. ESHT, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4480-876 Vila do Conde, Portugal
Interests: hospitality management; revenue management; customer behavior; guest behavior; internal marketing; service quality; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues，

Sustainability is nowadays a topic of huge relevance in all fields of knowledge, including for Tourism sector. Therefore, the main theme of this Special Issue is Sustainability of Tourism Destinations, calling to discussion national and international experiences on sustainability and development of tourism destinations.

This topic is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and with 2030 UN’s Agenda, since it is focused on discussing the 17 Goals through the lens of tourism, hospitality and restaurant activities and the role of these services to accomplish the SDGs. Moreover, SDGs are based on the Five Ps of sustainable development: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships, which envisage all the essential issues concerning tourism, hospitality and restaurant services.

Tourists prioritise destinations and activities focused on environmental sustainability and local community investment, therefore discussing sustainability in all its dimensions (People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnerships) and the image of tourism destinations will allow discussion of the main topics of current tourism trends.

Therefore, it aims to be a broad and inclusive discussion, covering various areas of tourism and hospitality research, including contribution from multiple disciplines, such as economics, management, sociology, geography, cultural studies, environmental science, and technology, reflecting the complex and interdisciplinary nature of this field.

We invite potential authors to contribute to this debate by presenting their research on topics such as:

  1. Tourism Economics and Management
  2. Tourism, Hospitality and Restaurants
  3. Technology and Innovation in Tourism
  4. Territory and Tourism Destinations
  5. Planning and Management of Tourist Products and Animation
  6. Tourism, Culture, Society and Language
  7. Neuroscience Applied to Tourism

Dr. Cândida Silva
Dr. Mónica Oliveira
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. Tourism and Hospitality 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 1200 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

  • sustainability
  • tourism destinations
  • tourism management
  • innovation
  • hospitality
  • restaurant
  • information technology
  • artificial intelligence
  • smart destinations
  • neurotourism

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 741 KB  
Article
Beyond Tourism: Community Empowerment and Resilience in Rural Indonesia
by Rudy Pramono and Juliana Juliana
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 210; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040210 - 13 Oct 2025
Viewed by 209
Abstract
Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is increasingly pivotal for sustainable rural development in emerging economies, particularly in culturally rich nations like Indonesia. The vulnerability of tourism-dependent communities, starkly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the urgent need to understand how CBT can foster socio-economic resilience—the [...] Read more.
Community-Based Tourism (CBT) is increasingly pivotal for sustainable rural development in emerging economies, particularly in culturally rich nations like Indonesia. The vulnerability of tourism-dependent communities, starkly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscores the urgent need to understand how CBT can foster socio-economic resilience—the capacity to withstand, adapt to, and recover from shocks. This study aims to investigate the relationship between CBT governance models and socio-economic resilience in rural Indonesia, identifying the critical factors that enable communities to thrive amidst adversity. A comparative qualitative case study design was employed, focusing on three tourism villages in Yogyakarta (Nglanggeran) and Bali (Penglipuran, Jasri). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and participant observation conducted from June to August 2024. The findings reveal that villages with inclusive participation, strong local leadership, and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms (e.g., Nglanggeran) demonstrate higher resilience, characterized by economic diversification, robust social capital, and strong adaptive capacity. In contrast, top-down governance (Penglipuran) or entrepreneurial but fragmented initiatives (Jasri) can limit inclusivity and adaptability, constraining resilience. This research contributes to the CBT literature by providing a comparative analysis of resilience outcomes across different governance contexts in Indonesia. It offers a refined framework for understanding how local institutions and community agency interact to build resilience. The study provides practical insights for policymakers and community leaders, highlighting the importance of fostering inclusive governance, strategic partnerships, and economic diversification to enhance the long-term sustainability and resilience of tourism-dependent communities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Tourism Destinations)
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18 pages, 443 KB  
Article
Balancing Growth and Tradition: The Potential of Community-Based Wellness Tourism in Ubud, Bali
by Ira Brunchilda Hubner, Juliana Juliana, Diena Mutiara Lemy, Amelda Pramezwary and Arifin Djakasaputra
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040205 - 9 Oct 2025
Viewed by 406
Abstract
This study examines community-based wellness tourism (CBWT) in Ubud, Bali, focusing on ownership structures, community participation, and the role of local traditions. Using a qualitative design, the data were collected through semi-structured interviews with wellness stakeholders and field observations of spas and yoga [...] Read more.
This study examines community-based wellness tourism (CBWT) in Ubud, Bali, focusing on ownership structures, community participation, and the role of local traditions. Using a qualitative design, the data were collected through semi-structured interviews with wellness stakeholders and field observations of spas and yoga centers. The findings reveal that spas are predominantly locally owned and staffed, ensuring value retention and skill development, while flagship yoga and retreat centers are dominated by non-local actors, creating risks of economic leakage and weaker cultural stewardship. Community involvement is strong in operations but limited in planning and governance, highlighting a policy–practice gap. Integrating Balinese traditions, such as Usada Bali and Melukat, could enhance authenticity but requires careful protection against commodification. The findings reveal that locally owned spas contribute to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through local value retention, employment creation, and skill development, while non-local dominance of yoga and retreat centers risks economic leakage and weakened cultural guardianship. The study also identifies gaps in governance and planning, underscoring the need for inclusive participation and capacity building to align with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Integrating Balinese traditions, such as Usada Bali and Melukat, highlights the opportunities for safeguarding cultural heritage, provided that protocols against commodification are enforced. To address these challenges, the study proposes a strategic framework emphasizing governance reform through a quadruple-helix model, shared-equity ownership, standardized human capital development, and protocol-based cultural guardianship. Despite the limitations of this being a single-case, cross-sectional study, the findings contribute to wellness tourism research by shifting attention from visitor demands to governance and equity. The study offers practical strategies for institutionalizing CBWT in Ubud while providing a transferable model for destinations seeking to balance growth with tradition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Tourism Destinations)
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28 pages, 2457 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Domestic Tourist Flows and Tourism Industry Agglomeration in the Yangtze River Delta, China
by Quanhong Xu, Paranee Boonchai and Sutana Boonlua
Tour. Hosp. 2025, 6(4), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6040204 - 6 Oct 2025
Viewed by 400
Abstract
The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region has experienced rapid development in its tourism industry, establishing itself as a leading force within China’s tourism sector. However, significant regional disparities continue to hinder its sustainable development. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to analyze the [...] Read more.
The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region has experienced rapid development in its tourism industry, establishing itself as a leading force within China’s tourism sector. However, significant regional disparities continue to hinder its sustainable development. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of domestic tourist flows and tourism industry agglomeration patterns in the region. Using city-level data from 2016 to 2022, the analysis employs a comprehensive methodology including standard deviation, coefficient of variation, standard deviation ellipse, and locational entropy. The main findings are as follows: (1) In the pre-pandemic period (2016–2019), absolute disparities in tourist flows widened, whereas relative disparities narrowed. During the pandemic (2020–2022), absolute disparities decreased, while relative disparities initially increased before contracting. (2) Tourist flows displayed a southeast–northwest gradient, with high-value areas clustered along the southeastern coast. Standard deviation ellipse analysis reveals that tourist flows were primarily distributed along the eastern coastal corridor, parallel to the coastline. Prior to the pandemic, tourism growth showed a tendency toward spatial equilibrium; however, this trend was disrupted during the pandemic, resulting in a more decentralized spatial pattern. (3) Throughout the pandemic, tourism industry concentration increased significantly in most cities. Cities with renowned scenic attractions and diversified economic structures demonstrated stronger resilience, while those heavily reliant on tourism were more vulnerable to the pandemic’s effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Tourism Destinations)
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