Sustainable Tourism,Geography and Spatial Planning

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 17288

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Laboratory of Landscape, Heritage and Territory (Lab2PT), Group of SpaceR – Space and Representations, Departament of Geography, University of Minho, 4704-553 Braga, Portugal
2. Campus de Azurém, Av. da Universidade, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
Interests: cultural tourism; creative tourism; local and regional development; health geography
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the publication of the book “Ecological Principles for Economic Development”, edited in 1973 by R.F. Dasmann, J.P. Milton, and P.H. Freeman, sustainable tourism practices have gained great relevance (Lopes et al., 2016). The 1990s was the decade where sustainable tourism processes began to be implemented, and that was linked, mainly, to connecting tourism development, community participation, and environmental conservation. In this context, geographers and other social scientists have been committed to developing strategies that are able to connect these three components in a successful way. Nevertheless, this continues to be hard to achieve. Why is a sustainable solution is so hard to achieve? Is it because politics do not address tourism development following holistic approaches? Is it because they go on not listening to the communities and not implicating them in their planning strategies the way they should? Is it because environmental conservation continues to be the less relevant dimension taken into account? Is it because it is not easy to establish networks and commit several stakeholders to them? Or is it because they do not look to the territories as systems where both the local and the regional matter and, instead, are just concerned with a particular local destination? What about the role played by technologies like Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Webmapping, Augmented Reality, and others? Are they contributing to achieving more sustainable tourist development strategies? What has been their role in tourism in the last decades?

This Special Issue provides a forum to discuss the potential contribution of several actors (politiciens, thecnicians, local community, tourists, and the business sector) to establish more sustainable tourism strategies in singular territories. Conceptual approaches and empirical ones, with special regard to case studies from different countries and regions, will be accepeted. Less successful and successful cases will be equally considered.

Prof. Paula Remoaldo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Conceptual approach to sustainable tourism
  • The role of Geography in sustainable tourism
  • Geographical characteristics and sustainable tourism
  • Regional and local sustainable tourism development
  • Residents participation in tourism development strategies
  • The role of politicians in sustainable tourism strategies
  • The role of tourists in sustainable tourism strategies
  • Contribution of networking to sustainable tourism strategies
  • Local and regional policies for sustainable tourism
  • The role of GIS in the development of sustainable tourism
  • The role of spatial planning in sustainable tourism
  • The role of digital technics in the development of sustainable tourism strategies
  • Case studies at local, regional, and international scales

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1052 KiB  
Article
Determiners in the Consumer’s Purchase Decision Process in Ecotourism Contexts: A Portuguese Case Study
by Paulo Roseta, Bruno Barbosa Sousa and Lara Roseta
Geosciences 2020, 10(6), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10060224 - 9 Jun 2020
Cited by 29 | Viewed by 5346
Abstract
Purpose: This paper entails a reflection on sustainability and specific tourism contexts (i.e., ecotourism). It focusses mainly on local communities’ determiners in the consumer’s purchase decision process in ecotourism. This research aimed at understanding the determiners in the process of consumer decisions in [...] Read more.
Purpose: This paper entails a reflection on sustainability and specific tourism contexts (i.e., ecotourism). It focusses mainly on local communities’ determiners in the consumer’s purchase decision process in ecotourism. This research aimed at understanding the determiners in the process of consumer decisions in ecotourism contexts, as well as verifying the growing importance of ecotourism. Methodology: A questionnaire was conducted (with ecotourism specific contexts), in Portugal. Portugal is a tourist destination that has gained notoriety and recognition in recent years. In total, 197 questionnaires were collected, aiming for a deeper understanding of the real social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts resulting from the uncontrolled development of tourism. This study aimed at testing the proposed conceptual model empirically (i.e., the relationship between destination image and post-purchase behaviour). Findings: Sustainability must be looked at as a vital need for society in general, as well as for the tourism sector. Ecotourism is the natural evolution of tourism employing care for the environment, culture and local traditions, while promoting environmental education. Research Limitations: The results obtained are limited, considering the availability of most accommodation units in the ecotourism segment in Portugal (e.g., hotels). As next steps, it is advisable that hotel units come to realise the pertinence of such research as they are the main beneficiaries of these initiatives, being then recommended that they collaborate with the process of completing surveys. Originality/Value: Managers and ecotourists can use the outcomes of this study to gain an in-depth understanding of customer experiences (i.e., sustainability experiences), to develop effective marketing strategies, and to create an operational environment that can maximise customers’ perceived experiential values. Destination image plays a fundamental part in terms of experience and the tourist’s own satisfaction, with a need to improve the degree of affectivity towards the hotel unit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism,Geography and Spatial Planning)
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12 pages, 267 KiB  
Article
Management Practices in Creative Tourism: Narratives by Managers from International Institutions to a More Sustainable Form of Tourism
by Paula Remoaldo, Olga Matos, Ricardo Gôja, Juliana Alves and Nancy Duxbury
Geosciences 2020, 10(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10020046 - 25 Jan 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3754
Abstract
This article analyses the managerial practices implemented by international organisations that provide platforms for promoting and carrying out creative tourism activities and workshops. The methodology of this research was conducted in four phases. The first phase consisted of Internet-based research to identify organisations [...] Read more.
This article analyses the managerial practices implemented by international organisations that provide platforms for promoting and carrying out creative tourism activities and workshops. The methodology of this research was conducted in four phases. The first phase consisted of Internet-based research to identify organisations involved in creative tourism and 24 institutions were found. In the second phase, we analysed the information provided on the institutions’ websites. In the third phase, we prepared an interview script and sent it to those institutions. We received 12 positive replies and held a semi-structured interview with those managers. In the last phase, the narratives of the interviews were subjected to content analysis. The 12 managers interviewed, between the ages of 35 and 56, belong to public and private entities and lead technical teams. The studied institutions displayed good practices for creative tourism and strategic lines to consolidate this tourist product in the future. This study is pertinent and original because no international study has analysed in detail the management practices implemented by creative tourism platforms and a consistent characterisation of the profile of the creative tourist is yet to be outlined. It can also help institutions involved in creative tourism to better understand the international state of the field in this tourism segment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism,Geography and Spatial Planning)
16 pages, 2205 KiB  
Article
Potential of Vineyard Landscapes for Sustainable Tourism
by Ángel Raúl Ruiz Pulpón and María del Carmen Cañizares Ruiz
Geosciences 2019, 9(11), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9110472 - 8 Nov 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3525
Abstract
According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism fosters the conservation of natural resources, respects the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and ensures the maintenance of economic activities in the long term. With reference to these three areas, this article examines how vineyard [...] Read more.
According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism fosters the conservation of natural resources, respects the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and ensures the maintenance of economic activities in the long term. With reference to these three areas, this article examines how vineyard landscapes, seen as one of the many resources of wine tourism, represent a potential for promoting forms of sustainable tourism, which be understood as tourism that assumes a balance between the environmental, economic and social determining factors behind a region. For this purpose, different theoretical and thematic approaches are used to highlight the importance of key issues, such as the status of the vineyard landscape as part of the conservation of natural resources in general and the elements linked to tangible and intangible heritage as part of the social authenticity of these landscapes. The results show how the strong cultural nature of vineyard landscapes, which are rich in heritage and aesthetics, guarantees their sustainability for tourist activity, provided that appropriate planning criteria are used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism,Geography and Spatial Planning)
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20 pages, 1311 KiB  
Article
Cross the Border: Participative Integrated Approach to Sustainable Tourism Planning
by Daniela Angelina Jelinčić, Sanja Tišma, Zoltán Lantos and Iva Tolić
Geosciences 2019, 9(10), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences9100434 - 8 Oct 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3949
Abstract
Cross-border areas and cross-border cooperation are one of the priorities of the EU policy. Those areas, often rich in recreational, cultural and natural resources provide a great potential for the development of sustainable tourism. The article analyzes the tourism in the Croatian-Hungarian (HR-HU) [...] Read more.
Cross-border areas and cross-border cooperation are one of the priorities of the EU policy. Those areas, often rich in recreational, cultural and natural resources provide a great potential for the development of sustainable tourism. The article analyzes the tourism in the Croatian-Hungarian (HR-HU) cross-border area under the assumption that different interventions can influence the perception of tourists and contribute to the realization of the full potential of the area. The method applied in the analysis is the gravity model. The results obtained by the model were tested with online in-depth interviews with three experts having backgrounds in entrepreneurship, decision making and the non-governmental sector, and focus groups, consisting of 31 experts in the field, show that altogether 72% of the tourists cross the border during a trip to the HR-HU border regions. Almost half of the respondents plan and organize programs during the trip. The main sources of collecting information about a trip are friends, family members and acquaintances, while 80% of the respondents also use at least one online tool for planning of the trip. In order to improve tourism indicators in the Croatian-Hungarian cross-border area, development of a cross-border online platform is being envisaged that would integrate different services and attractions, collect and utilize data, being the most important new raw material, thus opening a completely new space for virtual tourism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Tourism,Geography and Spatial Planning)
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