Natural and Sociocultural Values of a Tourism Destination in the Function of Sustainable Tourism Development—An Example of a Protected Area

Effective decision-making in tourism destinations relies significantly on employing suitable indicators for policy design and impact evaluation. However, the adoption of sustainability-focused indicators remains constrained in the field of cultural tourism. The purpose of this research is to provide decision-makers with an extensive array of criteria and indicators, enabling informed decision-making, policy formulation, and impact assessment tailored to the distinctive attributes encountered in European destinations. Based on the synthesis of existing approaches, and in co-creation with 21 European tourism destinations, an indicator-based framework is proposed, structured around the environmental, economic, social, cultural, resilience, and characterization domains. The results are particularly novel in the resilience and cultural domains, related to the recovery from crisis impacts, but also to the enhancement of digital approaches, as well as the preservation and promotion of cultural heritage towards a more hospitable destination. Moreover, the involvement of stakeholders incorporating real-case scenarios allows this research to bridge the gap between theoretical constructs and practical application. The indicator-based framework resulting from this research will provide stakeholders with assistance in assessing and comparing the impacts of cultural tourism on their destinations and, thence, help them acquire knowledge on cultural resource management, contributing to a more sustainable, responsible, and balanced impact.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Proposal for a Comparative Indicator-Based Framework in European Destinations

Zubiaga,

Sopelana,

Gandini

et al. 2024

“…The examined sociocultural indicators refer to the local population's contribution to education and the development of tourism and the promotion of local culture, as well as the interaction of residents and visitors. Economic indicators refer to benefits of the development of sustainable forms of tourism [44][45][46][47][48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(2) Stojanović et al [46] examined the function of PAs in SuTD. The research was based on the PoS methodology.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Sustainable Tourism on Resident and Visitor Satisfaction—The Case of the Special Nature Reserve “Titelski Breg”, Vojvodina

Trišić,

Štetić,

Candrea

et al. 2024

Self Cite

The Special Nature Reserve “Titelski Breg” (TB) is a protected area (PA) of category I, located in the AP of Vojvodina in the south-eastern part of Bačka. The reserve covers an area of 496 ha. A protection zone covering an area of 8643 ha has been established around the PA. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) states that this PA is classified as a category IV habitat and species management area. Its good geographical and traffic position and close distance to Romania and Hungary, as well as the nation’s major cities, make this PA accessible to a sizable number of both domestic and foreign tourists. There are numerous plant and animal species in the reserve, which makes this area unique. The population living around this reserve has an exceptional and valuable cultural heritage, which represents significant complementary tourist motives. To examine the state of sustainable tourism (SuT) in TB and the impact of SuT on the satisfaction of the respondents (SoR), the PoS model of study was used. The quantitative methodology in this research included a questionnaire as the survey instrument for residents and visitors. There were 630 respondents altogether (400 locals and 230 guests). Four aspects of sustainability, economic, social, cultural, and institutional, were used to analyze the state of SuT in this PA. The study’s findings show that SuT significantly affected the SoR. Analyzing the role that additional protected areas may have in SuT can be supported by the research outcomes. Additionally, the proportion of each sustainability characteristic in SuT can suggest guidelines for national programs that aim to develop PAs and tourist development at the same time.

“…The results of the research indicate that representatives of the local community agree with six constructions of ST development, out of the seven surveyed. The local population expressed their understanding of ST, which has its benefits when segmenting management priorities while respecting the needs and rights of the local population [66,67]. The acceptance and tolerance of the local population towards tourists are the basic prerequisites for ST development [68][69][70].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of the Ramsar Site Labudovo Okno for Sustainable Tourism—Evidence from Vojvodina Province

Trišić,

Brđanin,

Majstorović

et al. 2024

Self Cite

The Ramsar Site Labudovo Okno (LO) is located in Vojvodina, on the left bank of the Danube. It covers an area of 3733 ha. This wet habitat is valuable for different ecosystems, among which the most important are those inhabited by rare bird species. The main natural resources are wetlands, created by the Danube in this shallow part of its flow. Thirty-seven sustainable tourism (ST) indicators were used to assess the current status and future prospects of tourist growth in the LO. For this study, a total of 625 respondents (255 tourists and 370 residents) were asked through a questionnaire to evaluate the current tourism and the impact on their satisfaction. Additionally, they showed that some resources are either misused or not used sufficiently, which has a detrimental effect on the LO. Part of the research was to determine how satisfied respondents were with ST. Although tourism in LO still has no important mass features, the respondents’ satisfaction with sustainable LO tourism is present to a significant extent. This is vital for ST and the creation of local tourism strategies, because the need for greater valorization of natural and social values, as well as the establishment of the roles of all subjects of tourism development, has been noticed. Certainly, nature-based, ecotourism, scientific research, and nautical and bird-watching tourism must be the primary forms of tourist movements in the LO.