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Reframing Sustainable Tourism

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 December 2013) | Viewed by 77688

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Society and Conservation, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA
Interests: management of tourism and visitation in protected areas; new paradigms of planning; public engagement processes

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

In the 25 years since the notion of sustainable tourism emerged from global discourse about environmental impact of tourism, poverty alleviation and quality of life, many advances in understanding and application have occurred. While these advances have encouraged “kinder, gentler” forms of tourism, enhanced economic opportunity and provided many people with a better life, important questions about the purpose of tourism, its role in human life and its efficacy in solving complex problems remain. Tourism is but one component of the complex social-ecological system in which we live and our expectations about its potential may be unrealistic. Or, those expectations may be appropriate but the very notion of what sustainability means within the context of tourism is no longer suitable for 21st century demands. In this special issue of Sustainability, we will explore new paradigms of sustainable tourism. We encourage authors to submit both review and original research articles that search for ways to reframe the notion of sustainable tourism within a world challenged by changing climate, driven by rising expectations for more equitable distribution of income, underlain by the spread of democracy at all scales, and concerned about the delivery of needed services from an increasingly stressed ecosystem.

Prof. Dr. Stephen F. McCool
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sustainable tourism
  • responsible tourism
  • planning paradigms
  • benefit-sharing

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

359 KiB  
Article
There Is No Such Thing as Sustainable Tourism: Re-Conceptualizing Tourism as a Tool for Sustainability
by Gianna Moscardo and Laurie Murphy
Sustainability 2014, 6(5), 2538-2561; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6052538 - 30 Apr 2014
Cited by 127 | Viewed by 30981
Abstract
Increased global concern about sustainability has placed pressure on businesses to justify the value of their products and services beyond personal profit and to take responsibility for the negative impacts of their activities. Tourism is particularly susceptible to this pressure, given its generally [...] Read more.
Increased global concern about sustainability has placed pressure on businesses to justify the value of their products and services beyond personal profit and to take responsibility for the negative impacts of their activities. Tourism is particularly susceptible to this pressure, given its generally poor track record in terms of negative social, cultural and environmental impacts, and the lack of compelling evidence of benefits for either the individual tourist or destination communities. While the management of tourism impacts and the relationship between tourism and sustainability have been paid considerable attention by tourism academics, there is little evidence of any significant change in tourism practice. This paper will argue that this lack of change reflects problems in the way tourism academics have conceptualized sustainable tourism. After reviewing these problems with sustainable tourism, this paper will offer an alternative framework for sustainable tourism that focuses on the concept of quality-of-life, recognizes the complexity of tourism within local and global systems, adheres to the principles of responsible tourism, and explicitly assesses the value of tourism as one tool, amongst many, for sustainability. One potential application of the framework will be demonstrated with a case study of tourism development on Magnetic Island in Australia. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reframing Sustainable Tourism)
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602 KiB  
Article
A Sustainable Tourism Paradigm: Opportunities and Limits for Forest Landscape Planning
by Dina Rizio and Geremia Gios
Sustainability 2014, 6(4), 2379-2391; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6042379 - 23 Apr 2014
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 8234
Abstract
The promotion of sustainable tourism models has been widely debated; many pages have been devoted to the attempt to provide the subject with a strong theoretical base and coherent structure. This said, it is still the case that, although such frameworks are crucial [...] Read more.
The promotion of sustainable tourism models has been widely debated; many pages have been devoted to the attempt to provide the subject with a strong theoretical base and coherent structure. This said, it is still the case that, although such frameworks are crucial for the development of appropriate planning and policy instruments, their actual implementation continue to be fraught with difficulties. These problems are exacerbated when sustainable tourism entails development opportunities which require the support of the local community and the management of natural resources which are typically common goods. Under these circumstances, new management structures, which can both satisfy the needs of the local community and ensure the appropriate stewardship of the natural resources, must be created. Management solutions are not always easy to define and often need to be considered within a general framework, based on which individual cases are then formulated. This study analyses the connections between models of sustainable tourism and natural resource management considering the forest landscape case. This relationship is first examined from a theoretical perspective and then within a case study, in order to highlight the dual approach—both general and within a specific context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reframing Sustainable Tourism)
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181 KiB  
Article
Identification of Dried Native Chili Markets in the International Tourism Sector in Peru: An Open-Ended Contingent Valuation Study
by Jaqueline Garcia-Yi
Sustainability 2014, 6(2), 1093-1106; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6021093 - 21 Feb 2014
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 7308
Abstract
Many native chili varieties are becoming extinct due to the lack of economic incentives for farmers to their continued cultivation in Peru. A potential high value pro-poor market for selling native chilies is the international tourism segment. The objectives of this research were [...] Read more.
Many native chili varieties are becoming extinct due to the lack of economic incentives for farmers to their continued cultivation in Peru. A potential high value pro-poor market for selling native chilies is the international tourism segment. The objectives of this research were to assess the acceptability of the potential introduction of dried native chilies in the international tourism segment by identifying the motivations for buying dried chilies as souvenirs, and then by evaluating the factors influencing the price premiums’ magnitudes related to different label information conditions, such as information about the farmer community, traditional cooking recipes, organic certification, and Fairtrade certification. A face-to-face survey was conducted with 200 international tourists at the airport in Cuzco, Peru. The data were analyzed using a probit and tobit models with sample selection. The results suggest that dried native chilies would have a relatively good acceptance among international tourists. About 62% of the respondents indicated they would buy dried native chilies, and of them, 62%–74% would pay an average price premium ranging from S/1.16–1.58 for different label information conditions. Nevertheless specific marketing campaigns should be designed for different types of international tourists in order to maximize the economic benefits for small-holder farmers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reframing Sustainable Tourism)
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543 KiB  
Article
Critical Sustainability: Setting the Limits to Growth and Responsibility in Tourism
by Jarkko Saarinen
Sustainability 2014, 6(1), 1-17; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6010001 - 19 Dec 2013
Cited by 177 | Viewed by 18765
Abstract
The idea of sustainable development has been discussed in tourism research for almost a quarter of a century. During that time, sustainability has become an important policy framework for tourism and regional developers guiding their planning and development thinking. Sustainability has also emerged [...] Read more.
The idea of sustainable development has been discussed in tourism research for almost a quarter of a century. During that time, sustainability has become an important policy framework for tourism and regional developers guiding their planning and development thinking. Sustainability has also emerged academically as an important field of research with an emphasis on defining the limits to growth and responsibilities in tourism. However, while there are urgent needs to incorporate sustainability into tourism, there is also a growing amount of frustration among scholars on the conceptual nature of sustainability and how tourism as a private-driven economic activity relates to the ideals of sustainable development. This has created an increasing need to understand and potentially reframe the concept. The purpose of this paper is to overview the conceptual dimensions of sustainable tourism and discuss some of the main sources of frustration. Based on this, it is concluded that while a conceptual plurality seems to be unavoidable, there is a need to re-frame i.e., rescale and decentralize tourism in policy frameworks and practices aiming towards sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reframing Sustainable Tourism)
988 KiB  
Article
Critical Omissions and New Directions for Sustainable Tourism: A Situated Macro–Micro Approach
by Tazim Jamal, Blanca A. Camargo and Erica Wilson
Sustainability 2013, 5(11), 4594-4613; https://doi.org/10.3390/su5114594 - 29 Oct 2013
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 11476
Abstract
This paper traces the history and evolution of sustainable tourism and identifies some critical issues and omissions in this and related approaches such as responsible tourism, ecotourism and pro-poor tourism. The academic, institutional and practical intersections of sustainable tourism and responsible tourism are [...] Read more.
This paper traces the history and evolution of sustainable tourism and identifies some critical issues and omissions in this and related approaches such as responsible tourism, ecotourism and pro-poor tourism. The academic, institutional and practical intersections of sustainable tourism and responsible tourism are examined. It reveals that important theoretical and practical considerations around well-being, inclusion, and sustainability have been omitted. A critical look at ecotourism reveals additional concerns, such as a cornucopia of guidelines and principles, without clear ethical justifications to support them. At the same time, academics in this domain have been slow to consider the modernist and neoliberal influences shaping ecotourism and sustainable tourism development, such as through the discourse of ecological modernization. We identify some key omissions, such as the missing ‘body’ in sustainable tourism discourse, lack of critical analysis of postcolonial and dependency issues, and propose re-situating ‘sustainable tourism’ within a micro–macro, local-global systems approach informed by a clear framework of justice and ethics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reframing Sustainable Tourism)
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