Recent Advances in Sustainable Tourism Planning and Tourism Development in Developing Countries and Emerging Economies
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 30
Special Issue Editors
Interests: tourism sustainability; destination competitiveness; destination management; tourism planning and development; corporate social responsibility; tourism in developing countries; the hospitality industry; tourist behavior; regional economics; labor economics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: tourism marketing; destination management; remote work experience; experience design
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We welcome articles from researchers and practitioners who have valuable insights into the most recent achievements in sustainable tourism planning and development in developing countries and emerging economies (DCEEs).
The Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024, as reported by the World Economic Forum (WEF, 2024), indicates that high-income economies often have more favorable conditions for the development of tourism. This is due to their competitive business environments, strong infrastructure, and dynamic labor markets. Nevertheless, DCEEs have shown noteworthy advancements in recent times. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2024), these countries are projected to sustain robust growth, making a substantial contribution to the global tourism sector. However, DCEEs have not fully utilized their tourism potential or successfully incorporated sustainable practices.
This Special Issue welcomes papers that investigate how DCEEs might develop tourism models that are both competitive and sustainable. Contributions should focus on innovative tourism planning and management approaches. Our objective is to draw attention to how sustainable tourism can enhance living conditions, preserve local cultural and environmental heritage, and foster long-term economic stability in DCEEs. We have a specific research interest that extends beyond the protection of the environment to encompass the socio-cultural and economic aspects of sustainability. Topics may also include the role of tourism in poverty alleviation and community empowerment, sustainable tourism infrastructures, tourism and climate change, innovation, and digital transformation in the tourism industry. We also seek contributions on specific challenges, such as large-scale coastal tourism and package tourism in DCEEs. Furthermore, we are interested in the potential of tourism to promote peace, empower women, and foster entrepreneurship in these areas.
Case studies from DCEEs will be considered for publication (excluding high-income countries, according to the World Bank Group country classification by income level, link).
Dr. Gianluca Goffi
Dr. Ekaterina Koll
Dr. Nafiseh Rezaei
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainable tourism policy and planning and development in DCEEs
- sustainable tourism development in DCEEs
- tourism’s economic, sociocultural, and environmental impacts in DCEEs
- destination competitiveness in DCEEs
- tourism and economic growth in DCEEs
- tourism and poverty alleviation
- pro-poor tourism
- tourism and climate change in DCEEs
- peace through tourism in DCEEs
- women’s empowerment and tourism in DCEEs
- entrepreneurship in the tourism industry in DCEEs
- innovation and digital transformation in the tourism industry in DCEEs
- large-scale coastal tourism in DCEEs
- package tourism in DCEEs
- community-based tourism in DCEEs
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