Editorial: Land Issues and Their Impact on Tourism Development

Tourism development is highly dependent on the quantity, quality, and characteristics of available land. Therefore, issues that affect land resources tend to also have an influence—positive or negative—on tourism. However, a plethora of issues are associated with the acquisition and use of land for tourism, recreation, and leisure purposes. Several of these issues are related to the protection and conservation of natural and cultural-heritage resources within protected areas and other parts of tourist destinations. More contemporary issues include overcrowding and the disturbance of local residents, expressed through a phenomenon called overtourism.

Land issues and tourism tend to be magnified in developing countries where economic transformation and urbanization are rapid. The transfer of agricultural lands in rural areas for tourism uses and into protected areas raises several issues with respect to land use, transfer, and management.

Landscapes are often the main attraction for tourists, and their presentation and interpretation are vital in this respect. However, tourism development is paradoxical; in some cases, it beautifies existing landscapes while, in other situations, landscapes are spoiled by the intrusion of tourism and recreation.

This Special Issue of Land, entitled Land Issues and Their Impact on Tourism Development, received an international array of articles on various land issues and tourism development. The contributions can be divided into seven categories: (1) land use and spatial patterning, (2) resident issues, (3) tourism development and its potential, (4) pro-environmental behavior, (5) destination image, (6) visitor reviews of tourism destinations, and (7) online influences. The three main perspectives taken were about the land itself, resident attitudes and opinions, and visitor perceptions and behavior.

A summary of each of the 20 contributed articles for this Special Issue is provided in what follows.

1. Land use and spatial patterning

Coupling relationship and interactive response between intensive land use and tourism industry development in China’s major tourist cities [1]: In this study, the authors suggested that exploring the relationship between intensive land use (ILU) and tourism industry development (TID) is of vital significance to promote the high-quality and sustainable development of tourism and urban economies. An evaluation index system was constructed of ILU and TID to measure the coupling of, and the interaction between, ILU and TID in China’s 58 major tourist cities from 2004 to 2018. There was a significant correlation and bidirectional process between ILU and TID, which has a significant impact on the high-quality development of tourist cities.

LU/LC pattern as a measure of tourism impact on the lakeshore zone [2]: This study assessed the impact of tourism on the lakeshore zone in post-glacial lake land in northern Poland. Explanatory analysis of the distribution of individual spatial factor values was performed. The values of the proposed indices provide indirect data on the number of tourists using tourist and recreational facilities and are indicators of the impact of tourism on the lakeshore zone. The developed methodology can be applied to the majority of post-glacial lakes in Europe and other regions of the world to monitor the threats resulting from the exploitation of lakeshore zones.

Does culture affect farmer willingness to transfer rural land? Evidence from Southern Fujian, China [3]: This research explored the impact of culture on farmers’ willingness to transfer rural land. It was found that rural culture had a considerable influence on farmers’ willingness to transfer land. The findings of this study will help in developing a more comprehensive theoretical framework for research on this topic.

The influence of land use evolution on the visitor economy in Wuhan from the perspective of ecological service value [4]: This research used a transfer matrix, dynamic attitude, and a linear regression model to investigate the characteristics of land-use change and evolution of ecological service values and their impacts on Wuhan’s visitor economy. The dynamic attitude of construction land use changed the most with cultivated land, water area, forest land, unused land, and grassland. This study clarified the effects of urban land use on economic development resulting from tourism and provides a reference for its effective control.

Research on spatial patterns and sustainable development of rural tourism destinations in the Yellow River Basin of China [5]: Based on the data of key rural tourism villages in China’s Yellow River Basin, kernel density estimation and spatial hot spot clustering methods were used to analyze the spatial distribution pattern and sustainable development mechanisms of these villages. The spatial distribution of the key villages was found to be primarily affected by factors such as historical culture, transportation locations, economic level, and topography.

Spatially illustrating leisure agriculture: Empirical evidence from picking orchards, China [6]: This study explored the spatiality of leisure agriculture and the underlying mechanisms driving it by using geo–visual analytical tools, through which 20,778 picking orchards in China were studied. Five spatial agglomerations were found—namely, the regions around Beijing and Tianjin, Shandong hinterland, Henan hinterland, the core district of the Yangtze Delta, and the core district of the Pearl River Delta. The spatial pattern of picking orchards was found to be influenced by morphology, distance to central cities, traffic conditions, economic level, and tourism resources.

2. Resident issues

Resident’s perception of sustainable tourism destination recovery: A case of Northern Cyprus [7]: In this study, the authors sought to understand the perceptions of residents of northern Cyprus, as key stakeholders in the tourism industry, concerning the impacts of COVID-19 on the island’s tourism activities and to provide recommendations for its recovery post-pandemic. While divergent opinions were gathered, stakeholders expected the implementation of strategic plans aided by focused advertisements to ensure the sustainability of their tourist destinations.

Residents’ perception analysis regarding the implementation of tourism taxes at a UNESCO-certified destination with clustering [8]: This research assessed the perceptions of the residents of the municipality of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) regarding the implementation of a tourist tax. Owing to the exponential increase in the number of visitor arrivals to the city, the implementation of a tourist tax could be one of the strategies deployed to improve the tourist experience. It may also allow for a less negative interaction between residents and tourists. The analysis revealed the existence of three clusters: tax skeptics, tax enthusiasts, and tax reactionaries. The results are consistent with the nature of a mature destination, with most respondents supporting the implementation of a tourist tax.

Do local residents support the development of a national park? A study from Nanling National Park based on social impact assessment(SIA) [9]: Taking Nanling National Park in Guangdong Province as a case study, the authors of this study used the social impact assessment research framework to explore the perceptions and support of local people for the creation of national parks. Two main findings were revealed: First, most residents expressed a low awareness of Nanling National Park’s development, but they still expressed conditional support. Second, ethnic minorities and less educated residents did not support the creation of national parks. Perceptions of ecological, economic, political, and cultural impacts affected whether residents supported the construction of national parks.

Influence of residents’ perception of tourism impact on supporting tourism development in a GIAHS site: Mediating role of perceived justice and community identity [10]: In this study, the authors analyzed the mediating role of perceived justice and community identity between the perceptions of residents regarding the impact of tourism and their support for tourism development by integrating the theories of social exchange theory (SET) and “cognition–affection–conation” (CAC) relationship theory. Perceptions regarding the benefits of tourism had a significant positive influence, while perceptions of its associated costs had a significant negative influence on residents’ support for tourism development. Perceptions related to justice and community identity played intermediary roles in the relationship between the perception of tourism impact and support for tourism development. The mediating role of emotions had strong effects on the residents’ behavioral intentions due to the psychological transmission that occurs in a chain of perceptions. The results suggest that community-based tourism (CBT) may be an effective tool for local residents to diversify their livelihoods in GIAHS sites, and the mediating role of perceived justice and community identity should be particularly taken into account for the development of CBT in GIAHS sites.

Acceptance of tourist offers and territory: Cluster analysis of Ibiza residents (Spain) [11]: The aim of this research was to categorize residents according to their acceptance of different tourist offers focused on the land. This is an innovative approach to determining the profiles of residents based on their preferences for the future development of a destination’s offer to solve land-related problems. Cluster analysis made it possible to create five clusters—disappointed, favorable with nuances, moderate, enthusiasts but anti-nightclub, and enthusiasts. The types of tourism that involve an enhancement of the landscape and heritage were shown to be the best valued. Services that implied a high consumption of land (golf courses) or annoyances from the immediate surroundings (nightclubs) generated discrepancies.

3. Tourism development and its potential

Does the tourism development of a destination determine its socioeconomic development? [12]: In this research, the authors used a structural equation model (SEM) to demonstrate, first, that a direct relationship exists between tourism development and economic development, and second, that, of all cities analyzed (medium-sized cities of Andalusia, Spain), those with a higher level of tourism development are those showing a higher level of socioeconomic development, confirming that tourism has enormous potential as a tool for endogenous development.

Evaluation of tourism development potential on provinces along the Belt and Road in China: Generation of a comprehensive index system [13]: An effective multidimensional mesoscale was developed in this study to evaluate the destination’s TDP and construct a potential index model. Four rule layers—namely, tourism supply and consumption (X1), the demand and purchasing power of tourist source (X2), development value of destination resources (X3), and the contribution of the destination’s tourism industry (X4)—were identified, along with 31 layers of factors. The results showed significant regional differences in the TDP index of the provinces along the Belt and Road in China. Among them, Guangdong had the most extensive TDP index, whereas Qinghai had the smallest TDP index.

4. Pro-environmental behavior

Landscape and unique fascination: A dual-case study on the antecedents of tourist pro-environmental behavioral intentions [14]: Applying the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the cognition–affect–behavior (CAB) model, the authors of this research developed an integrated theoretical framework to predict TPEBI. The results suggested that attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, destination unique fascination and tourist delight directly influenced TPEBI. Tourist delight positively meditates the links between destination unique fascination and TPEBI. The proposed integrated model had better explanatory power than either TPB or CAB models. This study enriches the extant studies of pro-environmental behavioral intentions by introducing an integrated conceptual model coupled with the cross-validation approach.

Predicting private and public pro-environmental behaviors in rural tourism contexts using SEM and fsQCA [15]: The role of destination image and relationship quality was investigated in this contribution. SEM was applied to reveal the links among destination image, relationship quality, and pro-environmental behavior, while fsQCA was utilized to investigate configurations predicting pro-environmental behavior. The SEM results showed that destination image directly and positively affected relationship quality (including satisfaction and destination trust). Relationship quality was found to influence private and public pro-environmental behaviors positively and directly. Relationship quality mediated the influence of destination image on private pro-environmental behavior partially, while it played a fully mediating role in the effect of destination image on public pro-environmental behavior. The results provide tenable evidence that relationship quality can be a vital factor in enhancing the sub-dimensions of pro-environmental behavior.

Do situations influence the environmentally responsible behaviors of national park visitors? Survey from Shennongjia National Park, Hubei Province, China [16]: In this research, environmental knowledge was used as a rational factor, and situations were viewed as a moderator in stimulating ERB based on situational cognition theory. A knowledge–situation–behavior latent, variable moderator model was constructed and tested with visitor survey data from Shennongjia National Park, Hubei Province, China. The findings showed that situations had a significant positive moderating effect on the relationship between environmental knowledge and ERB. Books, articles, authors, and familiar people had significantly positive moderating effects on ERB, similarly to those of environmental interpretation and staff guidance. Precise measures to promote the ERB of national park visitors were proposed.

Rural and urban land tourism and destination image: A dual-case study approach examining energy-saving behavior and loyalty [17]: In this research, the authors explored tourist energy-saving behavior (TESB) and loyalty (TL) in a rural land context by using the cognition–affect–behavior (CAB) model. The findings indicated that destination image positively and directly influenced TESB and TL. Relationship quality variables, i.e., tourist satisfaction and destination trust, positively and separately mediated the associations of destination image with TESB and TL. A cross-validation approach of rural and urban cases documented support for the research findings. This study extended the literature related to destination image by introducing the CAB model, as well as a cross-validation approach, to examine energy-saving behavior and loyalty.

5. Destination image

Influence of cultural background on visitor segments’ tourist destination image: A case study of Barcelona and Chinese tourists [18]: This research investigated tourist destination image (TDI) from a national cultural perspective to examine whether cultural factors influence a visitor segment’s destination image, as well as their travel behavior and satisfaction. Barcelona, as the destination, and the Chinese market were utilized to present an empirical discussion of the study. It was demonstrated that TDI perceived by the Chinese visitors was influenced by pro-social cultural backgrounds; in addition, the visitors valued prestige and social networking during visits. The authors further discussed the reasons why visitors value prestige and social networking and how “facework” influences their travel behavior based on the concept of cultural value orientation. Overall, this study contributes to the existing knowledge on the formation of perceptions of TDI by analyzing the influence of tourists’ cultural backgrounds on their TDI.

Predicting private and public pro-environmental behaviors in rural tourism contexts using SEM and fsQCA [15]: The role of destination image and relationship quality was analyzed by applying structural equation modeling (SEM) to reveal the links among destination image, relationship quality, and pro-environmental behavior.

Rural and urban land tourism and destination image: A dual-case study approach examining energy-saving behavior and loyalty [17]: In this study, the literature related to destination image was expanded by introducing the cognition–affect–behavior (CAB) model and a cross-validation approach to examine energy-saving behavior and loyalty.

6. Visitor reviews on tourism destinations

A thousand words express a common idea? Understanding international tourists’ reviews of Mt. Huangshan, China, through a deep learning approach [19]: The motivation for this research was to understand international tourists’ online reviews of Mt. Huangshan in China. Through a state-of-the-art natural language processing network (BERT) analyzing posted reviews across international tourists, the results facilitated relevant landscape development and design decisions. The proposed analytic method can be a model to inspire relevant landscape planners and decision makers to conduct future research. Through the clustering results, several key topics were revealed—namely, international tourists’ perceptual image of Mt. Huangshan, tour route planning, and negative experiences of stays.

7. Online influences

The influence of the characteristics of online itinerary on purchasing behavior [20]: In this study, the authors provided insights into the influence of the characteristics of tourism itineraries on tourist purchasing behavior. By controlling for product-related and channel-related factors, it was demonstrated that, in terms of tourism destination choice, outbound tourism products attracted an increased number of tourists; in terms of the types of travel, private travel has replaced group travel to become the majority of the tourism market; in terms of the length of travel, mid-term travel (4–6 days) is the first choice, outnumbering short-term and long-term ones; in terms of price promotions such as discounts for early decision, multi-person price reduction and membership prices significantly led to increased sales; online reviews also had a great impact on tourist purchasing behavior. This study used a unique dataset to reveal the influence of online tourism product characteristics on sales and provide potential guidance on the marketing strategy in response to consumer behavior in the online tourism industry.

Summary

This Special Issue includes a rich assortment of research findings drawn from China, Poland, Spain, and other locations around the globe, reflecting the diverse nature of the use of land for tourism development. Seven categories of contributions were evident: (1) land use and spatial patterning, (2) resident issues, (3) tourism development and its potential, (4) pro-environmental behavior, (5) destination image, (6) visitor reviews of tourism destinations, and (7) online influences.

Perspectives from residents and visitors, as well as viewpoints on the land itself, were conveyed in this Special Issue. There was a particular emphasis on the use of rural land and lands within protected areas, including national parks and sites on the World Heritage List. The promotion of environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) from multiple parties was a strong theme in this Special Issue and represents a key plank in the platform for the sustainable tourism development of land. The authors also brought out the need for beneficial inputs from multiple sources (governments, residents, visitors, other stakeholders, and online UGC) to facilitate wise decision making about land and tourism development. There can be little doubt that issues will continue about the uses of land for tourism development and that climate change will become an even greater concern in these debates. Additionally, there will be increasing pressures on the rural lands surrounding major urban areas and on city leisure land areas including parks, lakes, and rivers. The continuing presence of COVID-19 is exacerbating capacity-bearing issues with these lands in urban contexts. It is hoped that this Special Issue inspires more research into these and other issues and opportunities for land and tourism development.