Search Results (27)

The implementation of the trans-European tourist cycle route network “EuroVelo” is fostering new strategic importance for non-motorized mobility and the associated practice of cycling tourism. Indeed, slow tourism offers a pathway for the development of inland areas. The infrastructure supporting it, such as long-distance cycling and walking paths, can act as a vital connection, stimulating regeneration in peripheral territories by enhancing environmental and landscape assets, as well as preserving heritage, local identity, and culture. The regeneration of peri-urban landscapes through soft mobility is recognized as the cornerstone for accessibility to material and immaterial resources (including ecosystem services) for multiple categories of users, including the most vulnerable, especially following the restoration of green-area systems and non-urbanized areas with degraded ecosystems. Considering the forthcoming implementation of the Magna Grecia cycling route, the southernmost segment of the “EuroVelo” network traversing three regions in southern Italy, this contribution briefly examines the necessity of defining new development policies to effectively integrate sustainable slow tourism with the enhancement of environmental and landscape values in the coastal areas along the route. Specifically, this case study focuses on a coastal stretch characterized by significant morphological and environmental features and notable landscapes interwoven with densely built environments. In this area, environmental and landscape values face considerable threats from scattered, irregular, low-density settlements, abandoned sites, and other inappropriate constructions along the coastline. Full article

Grounded in information processing theory, this study explores how ecotourism decisions were formed within the rural district of Akdağmadeni (Türkiye), integrating both heuristic and systematic decision-making processes. The research adopts a two-phase mixed-methods design: First, it employs a survey-based factorial analysis involving 383 participants to examine preferences for nature-based activities such as trekking, cycling, and cultural tourism. Second, it uses in-depth interviews to investigate participants’ strategic evaluations of local landscape and heritage assets. The results reveal that individuals flexibly switch between intuitive and analytical judgments based on contextual factors. Key decision drivers identified include alignment with local development, ecological integrity, and socioeconomic contribution. This dual-process insight is operationalized through a novel “feature-based evaluation model” that synthesizes landscape identity values with cognitive-perceptual cues, providing a new lens for assessing geoheritage-based tourism behavior. It was determined that participants used both intuitive and systematic information processing strategies in their decision-making processes, and factors such as harmony with nature, economic contribution, and local identity were found to affect preferences. The study draws attention to the need to develop sustainable tourism policies, raise public awareness, and support infrastructure investments, and provides a road map for the effective use of the region’s ecotourism potential. Full article

The competitiveness of rural tourism destinations holds significant implications not only for local livelihood sustainability and regional development but also for the preservation and continuity of human civilization. However, developing countries face a critical challenge where rural tourism destination competitiveness is being progressively undermined by the pervasive homogenization of tourism products. The existing literature demonstrates limited engagement with mitigation strategies for tourism product homogenization in examinations of rural destination competitiveness. This study conceptualizes tourism product homogenization as a manifestation of the tragedy of tourism commons, proposing that self-governance can foster rural tourism destination competitive advantages through resolving such collective action dilemmas. Employing a combined IAD-SES framework, the investigation analyzes interview data from Yuanjia Village in Shaanxi Province, China. The analysis delineates how self-governance dynamically enhances and sustains rural tourism destination competitiveness through four institutional mechanisms: provision rules, appropriation rules, monitoring protocols, and sanctioning systems. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the competitiveness driven by self-governance demonstrates the capacity to align individual interests with collective societal benefits. This research contributes to tourism scholarship by identifying novel institutional determinants of tourism destination competitiveness and proposing a policy framework for addressing product homogenization challenges throughout the rural tourism area life cycle. Full article

Travel and tourism are essential to global economies, generating social, economic, and environmental impacts. However, there is a lack of standardized methodologies to assess the environmental footprint of tourist destinations beyond carbon footprint analysis. This study introduces the Greentour tool, the first of its kind to evaluate the environmental impact of accommodation, restaurants, and tourism activities using nine environmental indicators from a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective. The tool applies a hybrid bottom-up and top-down approach, integrating data from tourist establishments and destination managers. The tool was tested in four tourist destinations in Spain and Portugal (Rías Baixas, Camino Lebaniego, Lloret de Mar, and Guimarães), revealing that transportation is the primary contributor to environmental impacts, ranging from 60% to 96% of total emissions, particularly in air-travel-dependent destinations. Food and beverage services are the second-largest contributor, accounting for up to 26% of emissions, while accommodation ranks third (1–14%). This study highlights the significant role of electricity consumption and food choices (e.g., red meat and dairy) in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, emphasizing the need for sustainable alternatives. Despite challenges in data collection, particularly for food and transport statistics, the Greentour tool has demonstrated robustness and adaptability across diverse destinations, making it applicable worldwide. This tool provides key insights for policymakers, tourism stakeholders, and businesses, supporting the integration of sustainability strategies into public policies and industry best practices. Future research should focus on expanding its use to additional destinations to foster science-based decision-making and promote more sustainable tourism practices globally. Full article

This study examines the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and gross domestic product (GDP) in the tourism industry, using annual time series data from 1955 to 2019 for Greece and 1930 to 2019 for Italy. The Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) model was used to determine the threshold point at which the tourism-induced Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) emerges in each stage of tourism, as indicated by the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model. The existence and direction of causality between CO₂ emissions, GDP, and tourist arrivals was determined using the Toda–Yamamoto Granger causality test. The analysis emphasizes the complex relationship between economic growth, environmental degradation, and the tourism industry. The EKC hypothesis is supported by empirical findings that show a strong long-term cointegration between tourist arrivals, GDP, and CO₂ emissions. This suggests that, while tourism growth initially contributes to environmental degradation, it also fosters conditions for sustainable development as economies progress, providing critical insights for policy-makers seeking to promote environmentally sustainable tourism. Full article

This study explores the evolution of cycling in Istria, a region located in parts of Slovenia and Croatia along the Northern Adriatic coast, recognised for its vibrant tourism sector. The research aims to evaluate the potential of cycling for both daily commuting and tourism while examining its economic, environmental, and social impacts. The study uses secondary data from 2010 to 2023, econometric methods, and interviews to assess how cycling contributes to economic growth, regional collaboration, employment rates, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In Slovenia, regression analysis indicates that bicycle imports positively correlate with tourist arrivals, which positively influences GDP. However, VAR analysis shows that employment has a negative impact on GHG emissions. In contrast, the increase in bicycles contributes to higher GHG emissions, suggesting the possibility of greenwashing or double pollution. In Croatia, regression coefficients were found to be insignificant, aligning with insights gained from interviews. Nonetheless, VAR analysis reveals that tourist arrivals and GDP positively reinforce each other, while GHG emissions negatively affect employment. Bicycles are shown to reduce GHG emissions, and tourist arrivals are also associated with lowered GHG emissions. The study concludes that cycling holds significant potential for fostering sustainable tourism and regional development; however, the differing impacts observed in Slovenia and Croatia necessitate tailored policy interventions. The hypothesis is partially confirmed in Slovenia, where bicycle imports positively impact tourist arrivals and GDP but are challenged by increased GHG emissions, while in Croatia, the hypothesis is not supported by direct economic gains from cycling. However, bicycles contribute to reducing GHG emissions. Full article

As the study of well-being has matured as a statistical and measurement agenda, it has gained relevance as a guide to public policy, generating more comprehensive metrics of human progress and embedding them in public policy initiatives and assessments. Internationally, a growing number of governments are attempting to ‘measure what matters’ through the use of well-being frameworks for policy decision-making at different stages of the policy cycle. The overarching vision is to enhance sustainable well-being, reflecting fulfilled lives of persons living now and in the future. Embedded within a conception of the ‘Well-being Economy’, this effort is argued to have substantial implications for tourism destination planning, management, policy assessment, and research. Following an overview of international progress in ‘measuring what matters’, important sources and indicators of well-being are identified, and their relevance to sustainable tourism development is emphasised. The paper thence highlights the potential advantages of using a well-being framework to guide the tourism policy cycle, addressing challenges that arise. The paper concludes with a proposed well-being action and research agenda for destination managers and other tourism stakeholders. Full article

The construction industry, business models, and smart cities are recognized as pivotal domains with profound implications for fostering sustainability, prompting extensive research endeavors. However, there remains a dearth of interdisciplinary integration within this sphere aimed at fostering sustainable development. Nevertheless, current studies suggest that research in this area could provide theoretical and practical guidance for the sustainable transformation of society and make a positive contribution to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this paper aims to utilize an innovative mixed research approach combining macro-quantitative bibliometric analysis with subsequent micro-qualitative content examination based on the SDGs to explore the relationship between BIM and smart cities in promoting a sustainability-oriented business model, which provides a comprehensive understanding of the overall situation and development of research topics in the field and contributes to the improvement of the SDGs. The results show that, during the last 13 years (from the year 2011 to 2023), the period from the year 2011 to 2016 was the initial stage of the field, followed by a rapid growth after the year 2018, of which “BIM”, “Smart City”, “Business Model”, “Building Life Cycle”, “Urban Management”, and “Business Model Innovation” are the keywords representing the current research hotspots. The circular economy model that has been developed since 2021 has contributed to life cycle stages, including “briefing stages” and “procurement stages”. As such, the “whole life cycle”, “strategic urban planning frameworks”, and “sustainable business models” have become future research trends, whilst real-world applications such as “smart tourism”, “e-government”, and “green building” have emerged. Further, the key partnerships of “city managers”, “corporate enterprises”, and “public participation” for smart cities contribute to the achievement of SDGs 8 and 17 in terms of integrating urban information technology and urban infrastructure, policy regulation, knowledge-sharing, improving economic efficiency, and promoting sustainable economic growth. Full article

This study aims to present the impact of disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on the possibility of recovering from and mitigating such impacts. The paper proposes a new emergency planning and disaster recovery management model (EPDRM) which links the ISO 31000:2018 (Risk Management) requirements with the process approach. The model was validated through its application to ISO-certified and ISO-non-certified hotels. The analysis was performed by using an online questionnaire based on the ISO 31000:2018 requirements, where given questions were grouped into 14 categories and presented according to the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. The proposed methodology has not been used by other researchers for similar problems. Current results are especially important, because they were collected after the lockdown that had a significant impact on hospitality and tourism in the world. This paper discusses the effect of hotel properties (such as size, certification, and categorization) on the implementation level of the emergency planning and disaster recovery management model. This survey was conducted in 109 hotels in Serbia. The results show that the average level of application was 35.80%. The survey also points to the development possibilities of alternative tourisms in response to COVID-19, and whether the hotel facilities were suitable for such changes in times of increased uncertainty. The results represent the basis of scientific data for improving the national policy, especially during the recovery from a disaster such as COVID-19, as well as emergency planning activities during the pandemic. The study limitations can be identified in the small research sample and insufficient cooperation of contacted hotels as well as the willingness of hotels’ managements to participate in the study. The hotels’ managers should be aware of the implementation of emergency planning measures, and without their willingness, this cannot be achieved at any level. Full article

This study aims to provide a scientific basis to address the strategies for sustainable development of urban tourism industry. By using the Life Cycle Assessment method, it decomposes tourism activities into seven different functional units (different tourism activities)-transportation, catering, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment and waste disposal-based on the expression of services provided by tourism activities, and determine the boundary range of each different functional unit in terms of the pathways and the functional orientation of the products (resources and energy) provided by the services of each functional unit. A “bottom-up” model is then constructed to measure the carbon footprint of tourism. Based on data collected from various sources for the period 2014–2019, it compares the composition and differences of domestic and international tourists’ carbon footprints in Chenzhou City, one of inland mountainous regions of central China, through several steps, including target and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact evaluation and life cycle interpretation. Results show that domestic tourists contributed more than 90% of the total annual carbon footprints to the city, ranging from 76.8809 × 10⁶ kg to 194.6067 × 10⁶ kg. Transportation is the dominant category, accounting for over 80% of the total carbon footprints. The study suggests that optimizing tourism resources, reducing transportation distances, and switching to low-carbon modes can effectively reduce the tourism carbon footprints in Chenzhou and similar regions. This study reveals the structural characteristics of the tourism carbon footprint and its influencing factors and provides valuable insights for policy development involving energy saving and low carbon tourism, thus enhancing the long-term sustainability of tourism development in an urban tourism destination like Chenzhou. Full article

The concept of green development requires that tourism development should be constrained by water and energy. This paper first constructed the calculation model of tourism water supply (TWS) based on water resources, economy, population, and employment. Second, according to the tourism life cycle theory, the energy-related water footprint account was built and combined with energy and water consumption, to realize water-energy dual constraints. Then, a suitability model between TWS and tourism water footprint (TWF) was established. Last, this paper predicted the growth rate of tourists in Xinjiang under the “suitability” state between TWS and TWF. Results show that in a future emergency-free setting, the average annual growth rate of tourists must be below 9.63% to maintain the “suitability” state, and in the context of emergencies damaging public health or socio-economic stability, the average annual growth rate may rise to 12.79%. In any scenario, the cap on tourist numbers in Xinjiang should be around 1.326 billion person-days in 2025, in line with the government’s planning goal. Last, this paper proposed suggestions to advance the green development of tourism from three angles: strengthening water conservation policies, promoting digital tourism, and setting multiple environmental monitoring mechanisms. Full article

In the fight against climate change, future policy directions in the transition toward a green travel- and tourism-based economy include improving tourism-derived CO₂ emission levels and guiding individual low-carbon behavior. In China, people tend to engage in outdoor adventure travel and cultural tourism in natural areas. However, limited information is available on the empirical evaluation of energy use and the CO₂ emissions associated with tourism in protected areas. The present study used a life cycle assessment to explore energy use and CO₂ emissions due to tourism and identify the factors driving low-carbon behavior. To these ends, survey data for the protected areas of the Qinling Mountains from 2014 to 2019 were used. The results showed that energy use and CO₂ emissions in various tourism sectors steadily increased from 2014 to 2019, primarily because of an increase in transportation activity. This study used data derived from the calculation of CO₂ emissions per tourist per trip to identify the various factors jointly contributing to the low-carbon behavior of tourists. These included a low-carbon attitude, low-carbon knowledge, environmental education, and policy reward. The broader implications of this study are that several emission reduction policy options are available to address the challenges inherent in sustainable tourism development and that these policies may be selected according to specific conditions. The low-carbon transformation of recreational facilities at travel destinations, policy rewards, and environmental education can regulate tourist behavior, holding the key to sustainable tourism development in protected areas. Full article

The decline is one of the essential issues for developing tourism destinations. The rapid adoption of appropriate policies will enable them to reverse the decline and enter the rejuvenation stage in time. This study advocated establishing an operational evaluation model of tourism efficiency with DEA and the super-SBM model to estimate when China’s mass tourism destinations are in decline and rejuvenation based on the tourism area life cycle (TALC) theory regarding China’s national scenic areas (NSAs) samples. The results show that the development of China’s mass tourism destinations can be divided into three phases, in which there is a clear process of persistent decline and rejuvenation. Different types of NSAs vary in terms of efficiency level and change trends. Human landscape, caves, and wetland and lakes all have distinct phases of persistent decline, but humanistic landscapes show a significant rejuvenation trend. These findings provide an innovative re-interpretation of the TALC model. Full article

The Chinese economy has entered the phase of high-quality development. Urbanization is an important driving factor in promoting the domestic economic cycle, while tourism is an emerging force in the development of urbanization. The convergence of these two factors will contribute to the high-quality development of regional economies. By constructing an evaluation index system of tourism development and urbanization level, 26 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration have been identified as the study area. The study has adopted the entropy method and the coupling coordination model to analyze the comprehensive development level of tourism and urbanization and the coupling coordination relationship between them from 2008 to 2018. The results show that the Yangtze River Delta presents a spatial pattern of orderly changes in the development of tourism, forming a spatial structure of “one pole and many centers”, with Shanghai as the core. In terms of spatial distribution, it generally presents the spatial trend characteristics of “high in the east and low in the west” in the east–west direction, and “protruding in the middle and lower at both ends” in the south–north direction. Coordination and interaction are steadily developing to a high level, with significant spatial dependence and spillover effects. Based on the research results, the study applies a new development vision to explore the coupling coordination high-quality development mechanism of tourism and urbanization in the Yangtze River Delta region; the corresponding policy recommendations are discussed. Full article

As tourism products are not necessities for people’s livelihood, zero consumption data are usually observed while conducting studies on topics that are relevant to tourism expenditure using cross-sectional research data, and a similar problem exists in tourist accommodation expenditure. This study adopts a two-stage process to examine the factors influencing tourist accommodation decisions in the domestic market, applying the dependent double-hurdle (DDH) model while using the dataset on Survey of Travel by R.O.C. (Taiwan) Citizens for the years 2014–2018. The findings reveal that, in the two decision-making equations, the social stratum, family life cycle, residential area, tourism behavior, vacation policy, and economic variables have different degrees and directions of influence on the intention to use and expenditure on tourist accommodation. Such information presents the processes involved in deciding to accommodate and how much to spend on accommodation, thereby indicating that it is inappropriate to use the single-equation analysis consisting of zero consumption expenditure data and to assume that the same variables influence the participation and consumption decisions. Full article