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Key elements of success and barriers in community based tourism AbstractCommunity based tourism (CBT) has often been cited as an alternative to mass tourism and an approach for tourism to become more sustainable. If developed well, CBT can become a poverty alleviation mechanism and a way to access improvements in quality of life, providing empowerment and greater economic benefit to individuals in local communities. Despite the plethora of literature on CBT and evaluation of models, there is little analysis of the facilitators and barriers to achieving it. Through the use of case studies in both academic and grey literature, this paper serves as an instructive review of the CBT literature to synthesise the key elements of success and the challenges.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the emergence of overtourism, outline the issues and contributing factors, as it relates to cities, and to suggest possible mitigation measures that might be taken by policy makers. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws from a review of literature looking at longitudinal issues of tourism development overtime and what has contributed to the phenomena of overtourism. A discussion of implications is provided from this review. Findings As tourism is an industry which has historically been poorly managed, greater political will and actual acknowledgement of the problem, as well as action by all levels of government are the necessary first steps to address overtourism. Practical implications This paper outlines key elements that contribute to overtourism and provides global examples which may help practitioners identify key critical issues in their own destinations and identify appropriate actions. Social implications This paper identifies issues raised by local resident populations and possible responses. Originality/value This paper provides a critical overview of overtourism issues, as it relates to cities and discusses potential mitigation and reduction efforts, thereby providing an explanation of why overtourism has become so prevalent.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory case study of mass mainstream tour operators in the Canadian market and evaluate their awareness level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The research aims to address the structure and ownership of mass Canadian tour operators, how it may influence the adoption of CSR practices, key issues and concerns and awareness level and participation of CSR practices. Although the Canadian outbound leisure mass market is relatively small compared with that of the UK, Canadian travelers are a significant source of tourism to Mexico and the Caribbean islands such as Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Design/methodology/approach -Canadian mass tour operators were contacted through interviews and questionnaires to assess the structure and ownership of mass Canadian tour operators, how it may influence the adoption of CSR practices, key issues and concerns and awareness level and participation of CSR practices. Existing responsible tourism practices in the destinations they operate were also gauged. Findings -CSR is gaining momentum worldwide as companies begin to realize that their stakeholders are demanding accountability that goes beyond shareholders' interests. Subsequently, reporting levels are increasingly being regulated and corporate strategic initiatives focusing on improving their social and environmental responsibility are on the rise. In the case of tour operators, however, initiatives of this nature are preliminary and there is little implementation of CSR practices.Research limitations/implications -The study examines Canadian mass tourism package tour operators and further research is needed to assess all tour operators (inbound and outbound) to determine whether the level of participation in responsible travel is higher or whether size is an implicating factor. As issues such as climate change and responsible tourism have only started to influence consumer demand in the past few years, the study's findings may be changing. Therefore a further follow-up study would be beneficial in order to determine any barriers to action. Originality/value -To date, little research has been done on the tourism industry, and that mainly on hotels. There is a need to understand the structure and contribution of tour operators to the industry and their level of CSR practices and movement towards more responsible tourism.

Environmental sustainability has often been claimed as a means to providing a competitive advantage by encouraging efficiencies, attracting customers and obtaining business. This work critically considers this idea in the context of the hotel industry by comparing the strategic intent and implementation of sustainability initiatives in hotels across North America. Environmental sustainability strategies can employ a low cost, a differentiated or a hybrid (a combination of the two) approach to creating a competitive advantage. Controlling for the type and age of hotel we find that the hotels sampled in this study used a combination of all three approaches but tended to rely on their need to create environmental sustainability legitimacy by placing an emphasis on differentiation through environmental sustainability branding. A lack of recognition by management of the contribution to their future economic success that low cost strategies can provide has implications for hotel owners. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Considering the evolution of climate change and recognizing that the tourism industry is among the key contributors to this evolution, this study aims to clarify how researchers and practitioners can understand better what the triggers to the adoption of a sustainable behavior are while on holidays. Various studies have been conducted on the sustainable tourist, pointing to numerous characteristics but as of yet, not achieving an agreement as to what the profile of this type of tourist is. Through a study on a sample of Canadian tourists, this article aims to identify whether a sustainable consumer type can be identified, how those consumers differ in their everyday sustainable behavior, and whether daily life behaviors continue when traveling. By investigating indicators such as altruism, frugality, and pro-ecological behavior, the study both identifies the underlying structure of sustainable behavior and brings a new insight into which elements permeate or not when traveling.