Sustainable Tourism: An Introduction

As with countless other sectors and industries, tourism—be it local, domestic, or international—was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This watershed event resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of travelers, with the closure of international borders and travel bans. Since then, the industry has started to recover; with this recovery, so, too, have conversations reemerged regarding the need for more sustainable travel-related practices and frameworks. Conventional tourism, in spite of contributing to economic growth, has several disadvantages, including negative environmental impacts and the erosion of cultural heritage landmarks as well as the harming of relationships with local communities to whom such sites are of historic and/or spiritual value. This edited collection explores the myriad and multi-scalar ways that sustainability can be infused into modern tourism. The different chapters featured in this book suggest, respectively, alternative frameworks, timely innovations, and sustainable solutions to existing travel-related challenges, as well as recommendations for viable policies and practices moving forward.