Sustainable Development in Urban and Rural Tourism

Dear Colleagues,

Since the appearance of mass tourism in the 1950s and 1960s, concern about the impacts of this activity on host regions and societies has been permanent and has increased over time. This led to the appearance of a very important area of tourism research, such as residents’ attitudes. Measurements of tourism impacts, including economic, socio-cultural and environmental, were also very important. Normally, tourism development is encouraged for its economic benefits, but there is great concern about the costs to society and the environment.

In recent decades, concern for avoiding the negative impacts of human activity and ensuring economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability has grown rapidly, all to avoid irreversible deterioration and so that future generations do not face a worse situation than the current one. This concern has translated into legislative measures, social awareness, business initiatives and academic research. The measures taken by companies have been grouped under the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and are important in multiple sectors, including tourism.

All academic research on tourism can be considered to seek to improve sustainability in specific cases, situations and aspects. However, research on the sustainable development of tourism tends to focus on the impacts of various types of tourism and how to make it a sustainable activity in the long term by minimizing costs and maximizing benefits. Within these approaches, studies on impacts on local societies and cultures stand out, highlighting how they change due to tourism development. Studies on environmental impacts and resource management (e.g., water, electricity, territory, etc.) are also important, as are the studies on the residents’ attitudes and on the CSR in tourism companies.

This Special Issue seeks to expand the flow of academic research related to a sector of great global importance (tourism) and representing a great concern (sustainable development). Potential topics for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Alterations in the natural environment of tourist companies and activities;
• Analysis of the economic, social and environmental evolution of tourist regions;
• Application of corporate social responsibility in tourism companies;
• Cultural landscape and rural tourism development;
• Crisis and resilience in tourism companies and destinations;
• Difficulties for the management of mature destinations;
• Management of cultural and natural resources in tourist destinations;
• Residents’ attitudes, their causes and consequences;
• Social and cultural changes in societies receiving tourists;
• Sustainability actions by tourism companies.

Dr. José Ramón-Cardona
Dr. María Dolores Sánchez-Fernández
Prof. Dr. José Álvarez-García
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• cultural landscape
• economic impacts
• environmental impacts
• gastronomy
• hospitality management
• local, rural and urban tourism
• mature destinations
• overtourism
• regional development
• residents’ attitudes
• social impacts
• sustainable development
• tangible and intangible heritage
• tourism development
• tourism planning