Sustainability as a key driver to address challenges

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to address the paradigm changes currently affecting tourism: the increasingly recognisable signs of irreversible climate change and the consequences of this and overtourism for service providers, destinations and tourists’ experiences. A more specific objective was to identify good practices carried out by destinations and companies in different tourism sectors to increase sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The research involved examining the academic, institutional and trade literature to develop an overview of the most important challenges and an accurate portrayal of how innovative and proactive companies and destination managers are addressing these issues. Findings Increased tourism demand has contributed to social and environmental unsustainability in tourism. Although the tourism sector has already implemented sustainable initiatives, an accurate quantification and measurement of these practices’ real impacts on global tourism’s sustainability is not yet possible. Originality/value This study’s value arises from the systematic identification of the implications of climate change and overtourism as major features of a paradigm shift in tourism. This paper also presents a set of good practices to provide tourism stakeholders with more sustainable strategies and inspire these entities to adopt appropriate measures.