Search Results (603)

As climate change intensified water scarcity in Southern Europe, tourism-dependent regions such as Portugal’s Algarve faced growing pressure to adapt their water management systems. This study investigated how hotel groups in the Algarve have adopted and communicated water reuse technologies—specifically desalination and greywater recycling—under environmental, institutional, and reputational constraints. A comparative qualitative case study was conducted involving three hotel groups—Vila Vita Parc, Pestana Group, and Vila Galé—selected through purposive sampling based on organizational capacity and technology adoption stage. The analysis was supported by a supplementary mini-case from Mallorca, Spain. Publicly accessible documents, including sustainability reports, media coverage, and policy frameworks, were thematically coded using organizational environmental behavior theory and the OECD Principles on Water Governance. The results demonstrated that (1) higher organizational capacity was associated with greater maturity in water reuse implementation; (2) communication transparency increased alongside technological advancement; and (3) early-stage adopters encountered stronger financial, regulatory, and operational barriers. These findings culminated in the development of the Maturity–Communication–Governance (MCG) Framework, which elucidates how internal resources, stakeholder signaling, and institutional alignment influence sustainable infrastructure uptake. This research offered policy recommendations to scale water reuse in tourism through financial incentives, regulatory simplification, and public–private partnerships. The study contributed to the literature on sustainable tourism and decentralized climate adaptation, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals 6.4, 12.6, and 13. Full article

As the cradle of Jiangnan culture, Suzhou is home to a dense concentration of historical architectural heritage that is currently facing existential threats from rapid urbanization. This study aims to develop a spatial heritage corridor network for conservation and sustainable utilization. Using kernel density estimation, this study identifies 15 kernel density groups, along with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), to pinpoint clusters of historical architectural heritage and assess the involved resistance factors. Current Effective Conductance (CEC) theory is further applied to model spatial flow relationships among heritage nodes, leading to the delineation of 27 heritage corridors and revealing a spatial structure characterized by one primary core, one secondary core, and multiple peripheral zones. Based on 15 source points, six cultural relics-themed routes are proposed—three land-based and three waterfront routes—connecting historical sites, towns, and ecological areas. The study further recommends a resource management strategy centered on departmental collaboration, digital integration, and community co-governance. By integrating historical architectural types, settlement forms, and ecological patterns, the research builds a multi-scale narrative and experience system that addresses fragmentation while improving coordination and sustainability. This framework delivers practical advice on heritage conservation and cultural tourism development in Suzhou and the broader Jiangnan region. Full article

Currently, exploring digital immersive experiences is a new trend in the innovation and development of cultural tourism. This study addresses the growing demand for digital immersion in cultural tourism by examining the integration of spatial narrative and digitally gamified architectural scenarios. This study synthesizes an optimized framework for narrative design in digitally gamified architectural scenarios, integrating spatial narrative theory and feedback-informed design. The proposed model comprises four key components: (1) developing spatial narrative design methods for such scenarios; (2) constructing a spatial language system for spatial narratives using linguistic principles to organize narrative expression; (3) building a preliminary digitally gamified scenario based on the “Wuhu Jiaoji Temple Renovation Project” after architectural and environmental enhancements; and (4) optimization through thermal feedback experiments—collecting visitor trajectory heatmaps, eye-tracking heatmaps, and oculometric data. The results show that the optimized design, validated in the original game Dreams of Jiaoji, effectively enhanced spatial narrative execution by refining both on-site and in-game architectural scenarios. Post-optimization visitor feedback confirmed the validity of the proposed optimization strategies and principles, providing theoretical and practical references for innovative digital cultural tourism models and architectural design advancements. In the context of site-specific architectural conservation, this approach achieves two key objectives: the generalized interpretation of architectural cultural resources and their visual representation through gamified interactions. This paradigm not only enhances public engagement through enabling a multidimensional understanding of historical building cultures but also accelerates the protective reuse of heritage sites, allowing heritage value to be maximized through contemporary reinterpretation. The interdisciplinary methodology promotes sustainable development in the digital transformation of cultural tourism, fostering user-centered experiences and contributing to rural revitalization. Ultimately, this study highlights the potential use of digitally gamified architectural scenarios as transformative tools for heritage preservation, cultural dissemination, and rural community revitalization. Full article

This study analyzes how Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) communicates policy implementation in tourism governance through 35 official responses to citizen petitions, using Heidbreder’s Multilevel Policy Implementation Strategies Framework (centralization, agencification, convergence, networking). Content coding, frequency analysis, co-occurrence network, and sentiment analysis reveal a dominant centralization pattern, with MoCST maintaining strong top-down control in decision-making and resource allocation. Convergence reflects increased inter-ministerial coordination, while agencification is limited, and networking with private or civil sectors remains weak. This weak networking limits participatory decision-making and hinders the development of adaptive, community-based tourism initiatives, which are crucial for sustainable tourism governance. Positive sentiment is more associated with centralized and convergent actions, indicating institutional trust. The study extends Heidbreder’s framework to a non-Western, centralized context and calls for stronger local agency roles and inclusive networks to enhance resilience and community ownership in policy implementation. Full article

This study explores a strategic framework for the sustainable development of Northern and Central Euboea (Evia), Greece, through the preservation and promotion of cultural and environmental assets. This research aims to redirect tourism flows from overdeveloped coastal zones to underutilized inland areas by leveraging local heritage and natural resources. The methodology was developed within the context of the AEI research project and combines bibliographic research, stakeholder consultation, GIS analysis, and socioeconomic assessment. Based on this framework, a series of thematic cultural routes and agritourism initiatives were designed to enhance regional attractiveness and resilience. The study proposes the utilization of ICT tools such as GIS-based mapping, a digital development platform, and an online tourism portal to document, manage, and promote key assets. The socioeconomic impact of the proposed interventions was evaluated using an input–output model, revealing that each EUR 1 million invested in the region is expected to generate EUR 650,000 in local GDP and create 14 new jobs. The results underscore the potential of alternative tourism to stimulate inclusive and sustainable growth, particularly in post-disaster rural regions. This integrated approach can serve as a model for other territories facing similar environmental, economic, and demographic challenges. Full article

Tourism development in coastal zones is often guided by marketing strategies focused on promotion, without real integration with the ecological, identity, and planning challenges facing these territories. This disconnection compromises environmental resilience, dilutes local cultural identity, and hinders adaptive governance in contexts of increasing tourism pressure and climate change. In response to this problem, the article presents the concept of Blue Marketing, a place-based, sustainability-oriented approach designed to guide communication, product development, and governance in marine and coastal destinations. Drawing on socio-environmental marketing and inspired by Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), the study proposes a Blue Marketing Decalogue (BMD), structured into three thematic blocks: (1) Ecosystem-focused sustainability, (2) cultural identity and territorial uniqueness, and (3) strategic planning and adaptive governance. Methodologically, the decalogue is empirically grounded in a territorial diagnosis of the Barbate–Vejer coastal corridor (Cádiz, Spain), developed through Geographic Information Systems (GIS), local planning documents, and field observations. This case study provides a detailed analysis of ecological vulnerabilities, cultural resources, and tourism dynamics, offering strategic insights transferable to other coastal contexts. The BMD incorporates both strategic and normative instruments that support the design of responsible tourism communication strategies, aligned with environmental preservation, community identity, and long-term planning. This contribution enriches current debates on sustainable tourism governance and provides practical tools for coastal destinations aiming to balance competitiveness with ecological responsibility. Ultimately, Blue Marketing is proposed as a vector for transformation, capable of reconnecting tourism promotion with the sustainability challenges and opportunities of coastal regions. Full article

Various activities, whether economic, social, or environmental, exert pressure on a coastal area. The extent of economic activities taking place in coastal regions is continuously increasing, particularly in tourism, maritime transport, port operations, and fisheries and aquaculture. Therefore, the decision to establish activities in a coastal area is complex and requires careful consideration by all stakeholders who use this space, which is potentially one of the most important natural resources for the development of any coastal country. This research is focused on assessing the justification for establishing economic activities in a coastal area, taking into account the interconnection of spatial, safety, environmental, and social factors. Therefore, three possible scenarios have been proposed: the location of the communal port, the location of the nautical port-marina, and the location of the marine entertainment and recreation centre. The goal was to develop a model that would enable the objective assessment and selection of the most suitable activity that would simultaneously benefit society and have the least harmful impact on the environment. Therefore, a multi-criteria analysis was conducted using the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) method. The decision-making process was based on the expert validation of criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives. An analytical tool called Expert Choice was used to synthesise the results and select the optimal activity. The sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability and reliability of the obtained results, with the AHP method proving to be an effective tool in structuring the decision-making process regarding the establishment of activities in the coastal area. Based on the results of the multi-criteria assessment, planning the establishment of activities is an important precondition for the long-term and sustainable development of coastal activities in an area. Full article

Landscape narrative theory, which focuses on the interaction between space, culture, and human experience, provides a practical and interdisciplinary framework for guiding the integration of culture and tourism. By incorporating storytelling elements into tourism planning, it helps transform static cultural assets into engaging visitor experiences. This approach is particularly relevant in provincial contexts where cultural resources are unevenly distributed. Taking Anhui Province, China, as a case study, this research builds a five-dimensional evaluation system covering culture–tourism economy, cultural resources, tourism resources, transportation accessibility, and policy support. Using spatial analytical methods such as Moran’s I and the Spatial Autoregressive (SAR) model, the study identifies clear spatial clustering patterns and influential factors. The SAR model results show that transportation accessibility (coefficient = 0.685, p < 0.01) and policy support (coefficient = 0.736, p < 0.01) significantly promote integration. In contrast, cultural resources (coefficient = −0.352, p < 0.01) and tourism resources (p ≈ 0.11) have limited or no significant direct economic impact. Based on these findings, this paper proposes targeted strategies such as building regional narrative networks, enhancing infrastructure and policy coordination, and fostering collaborative development. The key contribution of this study lies in applying landscape narrative theory at the provincial level to construct a “Theory–Indicators–Method–Strategy” framework, offering new perspectives for promoting high-quality regional culture–tourism integration. Full article

Against the backdrop of sustainable development and from a macro perspective, this paper focuses on the cultural and tourism industry, measures its sustainable development efficiency, analyzes influencing factors, and systematically explores improvement paths. Based on the theoretical perspective of sustainable development, this study has constructed an evaluation index system for measuring the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry across four dimensions, as follows: cultural and tourism economic construction, cultural and tourism basic resources, social basic support, and ecological environment quality. The range entropy value was adopted to measure the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry in 31 provinces of China from 2006 to 2023. The results show that the sustainable development level of China’s cultural and tourism industry is generally low, but shows an increasing trend. In terms of the annual growth rate of regional scores, the trend is as follows: North China (7.05%) > Central South (6.00%) > East China (5.97%) > Southwest (5.03%) > Northwest (4.56%) > Northeast (2.94%). This indicates considerable room for improvement in the future. Furthermore, this study used kernel density estimation to analyze the distribution dynamics and evolution trends of the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry and its scores at all levels, revealing differences in development levels among provinces and regions. Finally, this study has innovatively adopted the fsQCA method to explore improvement paths for the sustainable development level of the cultural and tourism industry, and identified three implementation paths: “openness–human resources–consumption–environment-driven”, “human resources–consumption–environment-driven”, and “openness–environment-driven”. By constructing a multi-condition combination model, this study breaks through the limitations of traditional single-factor analysis and reveals multiple concurrent causal relationships in complex situations. This approach showcases the differentiated development models of each province under the interacting effects of multi-dimensional factors, and provides policymakers with a basis for precise policy implementation “tailored to local conditions and multi-dimensional collaboration”. Full article

The need to promote proximity tourism in natural areas has made the destinations in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula a benchmark in the development of tourism in traditionally rural and depressed areas. In Ciudad Real province, a sustainable territorial management project was developed based on the uniqueness of its volcanic geoheritage, leading to its designation as the UNESCO Global Geopark “Volcanes de Calatrava, Ciudad Real”. Geoparks promote sustainable activities such as geotourism; thus, an urban geotourism itinerary was proposed in Piedrabuena (Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha) in order to make the natural and cultural geoheritage of a part of the geopark known, which is also a part of the Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Region. For this purpose, 12 natural and cultural resources of the geoheritage of the Piedrabuena volcano, on which the urban centre is located, were identified, inventoried, characterized, and valorised as sites of geotouristic interest, and they were connected along a geotourism itinerary. This itinerary has a 4 km route and up to eight interpretive stops, which allows visitors and tourists to enjoy a geotourism experience based on the volcanic landscape of the geopark, laying the foundations for the creation of other similar experiences. Full article

Rural tourism plays a crucial role in promoting industrial revitalization in mountainous regions. Drawing inspiration from the site selection mechanisms of nature reserves, this study constructs a gap analysis framework tailored to rural tourism destinations, aiming to provide technical support for their spatial layout and systematic planning. By integrating a potential evaluation system based on tourism resources, market demand, and synergistic factors, the study identifies rural tourism priority zones and proposes a development typology and spatial optimization strategy across five provinces in Southwest China. The findings reveal: (1) First- and second-priority zones are primarily located in the core and periphery of provincial capitals and prefecture-level cities, while third-priority zones are concentrated in resource-rich areas of Yunnan and Guizhou and market-oriented areas of Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guangxi. (2) The Chengdu Plain emerges as the core region for rural tourism development, with hotspots clustered around Chengdu, northern and western Guizhou, central Chongqing, eastern Guangxi, and northwestern Yunnan, whereas cold spots are mainly situated in the western Sichuan Plateau and the Leshan–Liangshan–Zhaotong–Panzhihua–Chuxiong–Pu’er belt. (3) The alignment between tourism resources and rural tourism destinations is highest in Yunnan and Guizhou, while Chongqing exhibits the strongest match between destinations and tourism market potential and synergistic development conditions. Overall, 79.35% of rural tourism destinations in the region are situated within identified priority zones, with Chongqing, Guizhou, and Sichuan exhibiting the highest proportions. Based on the spatial mismatch between potential and existing destinations, the study delineates four development types—maintenance and enhancement, supplementation and upgrading, expansion, and reserve development—and offers regionally tailored planning recommendations. The proposed framework provides a replicable approach for spatial planning of rural tourism destinations in complex mountainous settings. Full article

Gonghe Basin is an important frontier of resource and energy development and environmental protection on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and upper sections of the Yellow River. As a characteristic ecotone, this area exhibits complex and diverse ecosystem types while demonstrating marked ecological vulnerability. The response of ecosystem services (ESs) to human activities (HAs) is directly related to the sustainable construction of an ecological civilization highland and the decision-making and implementation of high-quality development. However, this response relationship is unclear in the Gonghe Basin. Based on remote sensing data, land use, meteorological, soil, and digital elevation model data, the current research determined the human activity intensity (HAI) in the Gonghe Basin by reclassifying HAs and modifying the intensity coefficient. Employing the InVEST model and bivariate spatial autocorrelation methods, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of HAI and ESs and responses of ESs to HAs in Gonghe Basin from 2000 to 2020 were quantitatively analyzed. The results demonstrate that: From 2000 to 2020, the HAI in the Gonghe Basin mainly reflected low-intensity HA, although the spatial range of HAI continued to expand. Single plantation and town construction activities exhibited high-intensity areas that spread along the northwest-southeast axis; composite activities such as tourism services and energy development showed medium-intensity areas of local growth, while the environmental supervision activity maintained a low-intensity wide-area distribution pattern. Over the past two decades, the four key ESs of water yield, soil conservation, carbon sequestration, and habitat quality exhibited distinct yet interconnected characteristics. From 2000 to 2020, HAs were significantly negatively correlated with ESs in Gonghe Basin. The spatial aggregation of HAs and ESs was mainly low-high and high-low, while the aggregation of HAs and individual services differed. These findings offer valuable insights for balancing and coordinating socio-economic development with resource exploitation in Gonghe Basin. Full article

Territorial tourism has brought new development opportunities for historic and cultural neighborhoods. However, an insufficient understanding of the spatial distribution and influencing mechanisms of neighborhood vitality continues to constrain effective revitalization strategies. This study takes the Shuitingmen Historical and Cultural Neighborhood in Quzhou, China, as a case study and develops a multi-dimensional vitality evaluation framework incorporating point-of-interest (POI) data, location-based service (LBS) heatmaps, street network data, historical resources, and environmental perception indicators. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is applied to assign indicator weights and calculate composite vitality scores across 19 streets. The results reveal that (1) comprehensive evaluation corrects the bias of single indicators and highlights the value of integrated assessment; (2) vitality is higher on rest days than on weekdays, with clear temporal patterns and two types of daily fluctuation trends—similar and differential; and (3) vitality levels are spatially uneven, with higher vitality in central and western areas and lower performance in the southeast, often related to low accessibility and functional monotony. This study confirms a strong positive correlation between street vitality and objective spatial factors, offering strategic insights for the micro-scale renewal and sustainable revitalization of historic neighborhoods. Full article

With the rapid development of the tourism industry, scientific evaluation of tourism resources is crucial to realize sustainable development. Especially how to quantify resource advantages in international tourism cities has become an important basis for tourism planning and policy making. However, the limitations of traditional evaluation methods in the allocation of indicator weights and nonlinear data processing make it difficult to meet the development needs of international tourism cities. Therefore, this study takes Guilin, an international tourist city, as the research object and proposes a hybrid framework integrating fuzzy neural network (FNN) and analytic hierarchy process-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (AHP-FCE). Based on 800 questionnaire data covering tourists, practitioners, and local residents, the study constructed a multilevel evaluation system (containing 12 specific indexes in the three dimensions of nature, service, and culture) using the Delphi method of expert interviews. It is found that AHP-FCE can effectively analyze the hierarchical relationship of evaluation indexes, but it is easily affected by the subjective judgment of experts. In contrast, FNN can effectively improve evaluation accuracy through the adaptive learning mechanism, and it especially shows significant advantages in dealing with tourists’ perception data. The empirical analysis shows that Guilin has obvious room for improvement in “environmental friendliness” and “cultural communication effectiveness”. The integration framework proposed in this study aims to enhance the scientific validity and accuracy of the assessment results, and provides reference and inspiration for the sustainable development of Guilin international tourism destination. Full article

Marine oil spills pose a serious and persistent threat to marine ecosystems, coastal resources, and global environmental health. These incidents not only disrupt ecological balance by damaging marine flora and fauna but also lead to long-term economic consequences for fisheries, tourism, and maritime industries. Owing to their rapid spread and often unpredictable occurrence, timely and accurate detection is essential for effective containment and mitigation. An efficient detection system can significantly enhance the responsiveness of emergency teams, enabling targeted interventions that minimize ecological damage and economic loss. This paper proposes a marine radar-based oil spill detection method that combines the Significance-to-Boundary Ratio (SBR) feature with an improved Sauvola adaptive thresholding algorithm. The raw radar data was firstly preprocessed through mean and median filtering, grayscale correction, and contrast enhancement. SBR features were then employed to extract coarse oil spill regions, which were further refined using an improved Sauvola thresholding algorithm followed by a denoising step to obtain fine-grained segmentation. Comparative experiments using different threshold values demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior segmentation performance by better preserving oil spill boundaries and reducing background noise. Overall, the approach provides a robust and efficient solution for marine oil spill detection and monitoring. Full article