Geographical Perspectives on Sustainable Tourism: Challenges and Opportunities

Dear Colleagues,

Geography has always had a significant role in tourism studies. In fact, we could safely say that tourism is inherently geographic in its nature as most, if not all, topics in tourism have a geographic side (Leiper, 1979). The geography of tourism refers to the study of tourism within the framework of geographic knowledge. Traditionally, the main foci of geography were considered to be place, space, and human–environment interaction; however, the scope today is much broader.

The sustainable development perspective adds another layer of complexity to tourism practices. The United Nations World Tourism Organization defined the concept of sustainable tourism as “tourism which meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunity for the future” (in Butler, 1999: 10). The sustainability of tourism development can be measured from four perspectives: ecological, economic, social and cultural, and the human or the community perspective. Sustainable tourism in practice means maintaining tourism development while:

1. Minimizing environmental impact;
2. Ensuring to consult local communities and share the rewards;
3. Preserving local culture and respecting local traditions and norms.

Overall, any type of tourism can be sustainable if it is planned and managed properly.

Finally, tourism practices have changed considerably over the last decade and especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of these changes, it may be timely to revisit the concept of sustainable tourism.

We would like to invite you to discuss geography and sustainability in the context of newly emerging topics in tourism:

• Safety and security in tourism (tourism during and after pandemics, tourism in war situations, natural disasters and tourism, etc.);
• Accessible tourism;
• Innovation and the application of new technologies (VR, AR, Internet of things, etc.) in hospitality and tourism;
• Smart tourism destinations;
• New consumers (Generation Z) in tourism;
• Overtourism and zero tourism;
• Sharing economy in tourism;
• Tourism in the Anthropocene;
• Low-carbon tourism;
• Circular economy in tourism;
• Sharing economy in tourism;
• Slow tourism;
• Regenerative tourism;
• Transformative tourism;
• Experiential tourism;
• Tourism planning and development for the advancement of sustainable tourist practices;
• Designing the tourist journey for the advancement of sustainable tourist practices;
• Innovative sustainable tourism development;
• Social media and influencer marketing for promoting sustainable tourism;
• Climate change and tourism sustainability.

This list is not exhaustive, and other topics may also apply.

Works Cited:

Butler, R. Sustainable tourism: A state-of-the-art review. Tour. Geogr. 1999, 1, 7–25.
Leiper, M. The framework of tourism: Towards a definition of tourism, tourists and the tourist industry. Ann. Tour. Res. 1979, 6, 390–407.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Dezsi
Dr. Istvan Egresi
Guest Editors

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• tourism geographies
• sustainable tourism development
• sustainable tourism
• sustainable tourism planning
• sustainable tourist practices
• human geography and tourism
• regional geography and tourism