Search Results (81)

This article develops and empirically supports a multi-level model for integrating sustainable practices in the hospitality industry, using the Zhetysu region of Kazakhstan as a regional case. The theoretical basis of the study is formed by the concepts of sustainable development, ESG principles and the Triple Bottom Line framework, which are integrated into a macro-, meso- and micro-level structure of sustainability management. The empirical analysis uses regional statistical data on the hotel sector for 2022–2025, including service volume, employment, wages, accommodation capacity, bed-days, investments and environmental protection expenditures. On this basis, a system of sustainability indices was constructed to assess economic, social and environmental dynamics. The results show that the Composite Sustainability Index increased from 0.00 in 2022 to 0.66 in 2025, indicating positive but uneven progress. Social indicators demonstrated the most stable improvement, while economic sustainability remained constrained by low capacity utilisation and unstable labour productivity. Environmental indicators were the weakest component, reflecting fragmented and inconsistent green practices. The novelty of the study lies in linking ESG and Triple Bottom Line principles with measurable regional indicators and a multi-level governance model. The proposed framework and roadmap can support regional authorities, tourism organisations and hospitality enterprises in coordinating sustainability initiatives and monitoring their implementation. Full article

Background: Traditional villages are important carriers of China’s agrarian civilization, and rural tourism has increasingly been promoted as a strategy for local economic revitalization. In this context, governments have introduced external developers and encouraged village–enterprise integration as a community-based governance arrangement, raising questions about its implications for community empowerment. Methods: Guided by sustainable development and empowerment theory, this study adopts a qualitative case study approach to examine the impacts of rural tourism on traditional village communities and the constraints shaping these outcomes. Results: Drawing on empirical evidence from Yunqiu Mountain Village, the findings indicate that rural tourism generates a simultaneous process of empowerment and disempowerment across economic, social, psychological, and political dimensions, with political empowerment remaining particularly weak. Conclusions: The analysis further reveals that the rural collective land system, marked by diluted property rights, together with limited and ineffective community participation mechanisms, constitutes key institutional constraints on community empowerment. By highlighting the dynamic process of “empowerment–disempowerment” under China’s specific institutional arrangements, this study contributes to tourism impact research and provides empirical insights into the contextual applicability of empowerment theory in traditional village tourism development. Full article

Large-scale location-based virtual reality (LBE VR) has become an important form of immersive cultural tourism, but its role in supporting sustained value transformation remains insufficiently understood. In this study, “sustained value transformation” refers to the extension, reinterpretation, and circulation of cultural, educational, social, and engagement-related value across physical venues, embodied virtual narratives, and digital platforms. Rather than assessing economic performance, environmental impact, or long-term operational viability, this study focuses on the cultural and social circulation of experiential value. It examines how physical venues, embodied virtual narratives, and digital platforms jointly mediate visitor experience in LBE VR-based cultural tourism. It compares representative LBE VR projects in museums and heritage institutions, emerging public cultural spaces, and commercial venues in China. A total of 10,862 project-related textual items and 464 visual samples were collected from Xiaohongshu and Douyin and analyzed through comparative content and visual analyses. The findings show that visitor choices are shaped by both the spirit of place in physical venues and platform-visible experience labels. In museums and heritage institutions, institutional knowledge authority and embodied narrative depth help visitors recognize interactive educational value. In emerging public cultural spaces, the intertwining of historical narratives and commercial operations produces more ambiguous experience labels. In commercial venues, platform discussions focus more strongly on value-for-money judgment, sensory stimulation, product quality, and service experience. The study argues that sustained value transformation in LBE VR-based cultural tourism cannot rely solely on platform traffic. Instead, it depends on collaboration among cultural institutions, tourism enterprises, platform content creators, educational actors, and community stakeholders to preserve cultural distinctiveness, improve experience quality, and extend cultural and social value beyond the immediate on-site experience. Full article

This study investigates the development and current status of agritourism in Croatia, with a specific focus on Istria County, a region characterized by favorable Mediterranean climatic conditions and a long-standing tourism culture. The research aims to assess the structure and success factors of agritourism enterprises within the broader Croatian tourism market. An empirical field survey was conducted on a sample of 58 agritourism businesses operating in Istria County. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, and enterprises were segmented into three groups according to their length of business operation. The results reveal significant differences among the identified groups in terms of demographic and professional characteristics, including age, educational attainment, prior tourism experience, years in business, and annual tourist visits. The analysis further identifies three key dimensions influencing agritourism: future development (1), consisting of economic and social variables enhancing the business; limitations (2) of land, capital, and laws that can hinder their future; and state interventions (3), such as incentives and taxes created by state authorities. The findings suggest that the sustainable development of agritourism in Istria depends on coordinated policy support, effective utilization of farm, local nature, and heritage resources, as well as continuous improvement in service provision. This study contributes to a better understanding of agritourism dynamics in emerging rural tourism markets and provides a basis for future research and policy development. Full article

Geographical exclaves face distinctive development challenges as spatial separation creates cross-border dependencies and institutional vulnerabilities. Musandam Governorate, Oman’s exclave separated from the mainland by United Arab Emirates (UAE) territory, exemplifies how exclave status shapes development trajectories, cross-border interactions, and population resilience. This study examines Musandam’s socio-economic dynamics, development patterns, and cross-border relationships, addressing gaps in understanding how exclave residents navigate spatial discontinuity while maintaining mainland and cross-border connections. Mixed methods combined quantitative assessment using the adapted Vera Carstairs Index (VCI) across seven domains (education, skills, employment, housing, living environment, household facilities, health) with qualitative fieldwork spanning four campaigns (2019–2023). Semi-structured interviews with 47 residents across all four wilayaat (provinces), complemented by citizen science approaches engaging twelve community participants, documented mobility patterns and cross-border transactions. Secondary data from the 2010 Population Census and national statistics provided contextual depth. Findings reveal two of four Musandam wilayaat (Daba and Khasab) ranking in the lower half nationally, with low health scores (ranks 1 and 9) and education institution deficits reflecting structural integration into transnational economic and services systems. COVID-19 border closures amplified pre-existing dependencies, converting eight-month isolation into a humanitarian crisis with food shortages, medicine unavailability, and social fragmentation. Residents maintain stronger functional connections with UAE cities than with mainland Oman despite preserving national identity. Policy implications emphasize six strategic priorities: higher education institutions, transportation infrastructure, marine fisheries development, tourism enhancement, small-medium enterprise facilitation, and residential land provision. Full article

This study investigates the financial and strategic implications of ESG implementation in the hotel sector, focusing on cost structures, stakeholder engagement, and risk-related outcomes. Empirical evidence remains limited in tourism-intensive economies, particularly regarding operational practices. Using a mixed-methods approach, we combine survey data from hotel managers in Crete, Greece, with a case study of a leading hotel enterprise. The findings reveal that environmental initiatives require substantial investment but can lead to operational efficiencies and regulatory alignment. Social and governance practices, while less capital intensive, play a key role in internal stakeholder trust. The study concludes that the integration of ESG into measurable key performance indicators, when strategically aligned with corporate objectives, contributes to long-term financial viability. These insights reinforce ESG’s growing role in enhancing resilience and governance effectiveness within the hospitality sector. Full article

As global sustainable development increasingly intersects with rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), understanding how emerging technologies reshape corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) behavior has become essential. This study investigates the role of artificial intelligence adoption in shaping firms’ ESG performance and analyzes the channels through which such effects are realized. Panel data on Chinese A-share listed tourism enterprises for the period 2013–2023 were used in the analysis. Grounded in corporate social responsibility theory and stakeholder theory, the empirical analysis indicates that the adoption of artificial intelligence is positively associated with improved ESG performance among tourism enterprises. Further analysis suggests that AI adoption positively affects ESG performance mainly through two channels: customer base diversification and improvements in corporate reputation. Moderating effect tests reveal that climate risk strengthens the promoting effect of AI on ESG performance, while media attention weakens this effect. The heterogeneity results indicate that the positive impact of AI adoption on ESG performance is stronger among firms facing less government environmental scrutiny and those operating outside the culture, sports, and entertainment sectors. These findings deepen the understanding of how emerging technologies support sustainable corporate development in the tourism industry and provide evidence that may assist policymakers in promoting the coordinated advancement of AI applications and green governance. Full article

As global climate change intensifies, research on low-carbon practices has become a critical component of sustainable tourism development. The carbon emission profile of ski tourism differs significantly from other tourism sectors. Ski resorts have a mountainous terrain and typically maintain relatively high levels of vegetation, endowing them with inherent advantages for pioneering low-carbon and sustainable tourism practices. However, the substantial energy demands associated with artificial snowmaking systems and advanced infrastructure pose significant challenges to reducing carbon emissions in ski resort operations. This study gathers first-hand data on sustainable tourism development in the Chongli ski resort—the region that hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics—through field investigations and interviews with key industry stakeholders. It develops a comprehensive framework accounting for carbon emissions in ski resorts by integrating input–output analysis with enterprise-level data, focusing on four core operational sectors: catering, skiing, wholesale and retail, and leasing and business services. Furthermore, this study examines the coupling relationship between carbon emissions and operating revenue. Using correlation and regression analyses, this study identifies the key drivers of carbon emissions across these operational departments within the ski tourism sector. The results indicate that carbon emissions from these four sectors in the Chongli ski resort exhibit periodic fluctuations with an overall upward trend year by year. Nevertheless, progress in low-carbon development is evident, suggesting that the resort is on a trajectory toward achieving peak carbon emissions and eventual carbon neutrality. The inclusion of natural endowments, market-scale effects, festival and special events, and capital investment in ski tourism collectively serve as crucial drivers for low-carbon sustainability in Chongli. Based on these findings, this study proposes targeted recommendations to support low-carbon sustainable development, offering scientific insights for similar Winter Olympics host cities. This study integrates top-down input–output analysis with bottom-up enterprise data, taking Chongli, the host city of the Winter Olympics, as a timely case study. It constructs a four-dimensional low-carbon development model based on the identification of key natural, social, and economic driving factors, and strengthens the reliability of the conclusion by relying on first-hand field research and operator interview data. Our study provides an analysis of methodological innovation, framework integrity, and solid empirical evidence that accounts for micro-scale carbon emissions in ski resorts. Full article

In the face of the growing water crisis and current environmental pressures, rural communities with a tourism vocation face significant challenges in preserving their ecological and cultural integrity. These communities, whose livelihoods depend on their interaction with tourism dynamics and their territory, constitute a complex system in which sustainability challenges cannot be addressed in isolation. This study develops a systemic diagnosis of La Magdalena Atlitic, a rural community located in the south of Mexico City, through the application of the Viable System Model (VSM), complemented by the principles of agile governance. The objective is to understand how social enterprises contribute to sustainable water management through their tourism products and services. Drawing on field visits, semi structured interviews and participatory workshops, three operational units sustaining the system in focus were identified. The findings show that although these units are dynamic, weaknesses persist in coordination, control and auditing, which limits the feedback capacity of the system under study. The integration of agile governance reveals the community’s potential to transform reactive practices into efficient mechanisms, strengthening collaboration and participatory decision-making. This approach demonstrates that the synergy between the VSM and agile governance promotes water sustainability and the resilience of socio ecological systems. Full article

This study explores how sustainable culinary tourism fosters rural diversification and resilience in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Despite increasing recognition of gastronomy as a driver of sustainable tourism, comparative analyses across macro-regional contexts remain limited. The paper addresses this gap through a qualitative comparative analysis of twelve thematic culinary trails involving seventy-three small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) developed under the INTERREG Baltic Sea Region Programme’s BASCIL project. Drawing on documentary analysis, stakeholder consultations, and thematic coding, the research identifies six interconnected pathways: agritourism and farm-based experiences, rural gastronomic branding, culinary festivals, digitalization, sustainability and circular economy practices, and European Union (EU) policy support. Results reveal that culinary tourism strengthens local economies, reinforces cultural identity, and promotes transnational cooperation, while challenges persist in professionalization, digital adoption, and infrastructure. The study underscores the enabling role of EU frameworks in scaling innovation and embedding gastronomy within rural development strategies. It concludes that culinary tourism operates as a strategic lever for sustainable rural transformation, integrating economic, social, and environmental dimensions, and calls for further longitudinal research on its long-term socio-economic and policy impacts in the BSR and beyond. Full article

Digital marketing has become a game-changer by combining cutting-edge technologies, insights into how customers behave, and applicability across industries to change how businesses plan and how they interact with customers. Digital marketing is a key part of being competitive, sustainable, and innovative in a world where more and more people are using the internet and social media. Even though this subject is important, the study of it is still scattered, which shows that there is a need to systematically map out its intellectual structure. This research utilizes a bibliometric and topic modeling methodology, analyzing 4722 publications sourced from the Scopus database, including the string “Digital Marketing”. The authors employed Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a method from Natural Language Processing, to discern latent study themes and Vosviewer 1.6.20 for bibliometric analysis. The results explore ten main thematic clusters, such as digital marketing and blockchain, applications in the health and food industries, higher education and skill enhancement, machine learning and analytics, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and sustainability, emerging trends and ethics, sales transformation, tourism and hospitality, digital media and audience perception, and consumer satisfaction through service quality. These clusters show that digital marketing is becoming more interdisciplinary and is becoming more connected to ethical and technological issues. The report finds that digital marketing research is changing quickly because of artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, immersive technology, and reflect it with a digital business environment. Future directions encompass the expansion of analyses to new economies, the implementation of advanced semantic models, and the navigation of ethical difficulties, thereby guaranteeing that digital marketing fosters both business progress and public welfare. Full article

Based on a comprehensive review of the current research status of ecological compensation both domestically and internationally, combined with field survey data, this study delves into the issue of multi-stakeholder participation in the ecological compensation mechanisms of the Xin’an River Basin. This research reveals that the joint participation of multiple stakeholders is crucial to achieving the goals of ecological compensation in river basins. The government plays a significant role in macro-guidance, financial support, policy guarantees, supervision, and management. It promotes the comprehensive implementation of ecological environmental protection by formulating relevant laws and regulations, guiding the public to participate in ecological conservation, and supervising and punishing pollution behaviors. The public, serving as the main force, forms strong awareness and behavioral habits of ecological protection through active participation in environmental protection, monitoring, and feedback. As participants, enterprises contribute to industrial transformation and green development by improving resource utilization efficiency, reducing pollution emissions, promoting green industries, and participating in ecological restoration projects. Scientific research institutions, as technology enablers, have effectively enhanced governance efficiency through technological research and innovation, ecosystem value accounting to provide decision-making support, and public education. Social organizations, as facilitators, have injected vitality and innovation into watershed governance by extensively mobilizing social forces and building multi-party collaboration platforms. Communities, as supporters, have transformed ecological value into economic benefits by developing characteristic industries such as eco-agriculture and eco-tourism. Based on the above findings, further recommendations are proposed to mobilize the enthusiasm of upstream communities and encourage their participation in ecological compensation, promote the market-oriented operation of ecological compensation mechanisms, strengthen cross-regional cooperation to establish joint mechanisms, enhance supervision and evaluation, and establish a sound benefit-sharing mechanism. These recommendations provide theoretical support and practical references for ecological compensation worldwide. Full article

Growing awareness of sustainable development and green consumer concerns is driving the market expansion for green agriculture products. E-commerce live streaming gives rural enterprises a new channel through scenario-building and interaction, while agro-tourism integration combines resources to generate a variety of promotion scenarios. This study examines the effects of external stimuli, including social networks, resource endowment, infrastructure, and the characteristics of e-commerce streamers, on the perception, trust, perceived value, and purchase intention of green consumption. It is based on the SOR (Stimulus–Organism–Response) theoretical model and focuses on e-commerce live streaming in the agriculture-tourism integration scenario. According to a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis of 350 consumer questionnaires, these external stimuli primarily influence purchase intention through perceived value, trust, and green consumption cognition, with resource endowment having the most significant impact. The effects of infrastructure on perceived value and streamer attractiveness on green consumption cognition are not statistically significant. This research not only broadens the use of the SOR model in the emerging field of agritourism integration but also offers rural businesses theoretical backing and useful guidance to maximize e-commerce live marketing and enhance agritourism integration. Full article

This study examines the role of public–private partnerships in promoting the sustainable development of travel destinations through a comparative analysis of two emblematic heritage-based hospitality projects: Dar Tantora in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, and Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita in Matera, Italy. These case studies were analysed through both architectural–urban and economic–legal perspectives to highlight how public–private partnership models can support heritage conservation, community engagement, and responsible tourism development. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative indicators—such as projected profitability, tourist volume, and employment—with qualitative insights from interviews with key stakeholders. The analysis reveals that while both models prioritise cultural authenticity and adaptive reuse, they differ significantly in funding structures, legal frameworks, and governance dynamics. Dar Tantora exemplifies a top-down, publicly funded model integrated into Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy, whereas Sextantio reflects a bottom-up, private initiative rooted in social enterprise. The findings offer insights into how different public–private partnership configurations can foster sustainable tourism development, depending on local context, institutional frameworks, and strategic goals. The study contributes to the broader discourse on regenerative tourism, architectural conservation, and policy-driven heritage reuse. Full article

As various sectors of the world are grappling with various sustainability challenges, there is an urgent need to seek ways to find sustainable ways of dealing with some of these global challenges. Ecotourism has been seen as an avenue for addressing some of the sustainability challenges facing the tourism industry. Most tourism enterprises have adopted ecotourism principles. This study examines the evolution of ecotourism marketing to identify the key concepts and critical debates within this terrain. In this regard, this study also seeks to identify knowledge gaps and future research directions. Using bibliometric data from Web of Science-indexed publications between 2003 and 2025, this study found that ecotourism marketing has been a growing field of research, which is highly cited across fields. The study found that ecotourism marketing covers a wide range of aspects, including digital marketing, destination branding, sustainable marketing, and demand-side considerations in ecotourism marketing. Ecotourism marketing, in many respects, is equally concerned with how ecotourism establishments embrace the current challenges of climate change from a climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience perspective to ensure sustainability. There are several research gaps and directions with respect to ecotourism marketing, some of which could cover various aspects in the future, such as examining the role of new technologies, social influencers, and funding in ecotourism marketing. There is an equal need to understand how various generations view the whole concept of green tourism to inform segmentation and better market positioning. Full article