Abstract
Evidence from several studies illustrates the different points of view through which sustainability and mountains have been studied over the years. Nowadays, interest in Millennials is increasing but no research has compared Millennials and sustainability in the mountain context. This study aims at defining sustainability with reference to Millennial perception of both winter and summer mountain sports. By analysing data gathered from a sample of 2292 Millennials (Piedmont area), the authors confirm their high degree of sensitivity towards sustainable issues and, above all, discover that there are differences in the sustainable perception Millennials have of both mountain winter and summer sports. More specifically, Millennial perception is deeply influenced by the place where they are used to living―mountains or cities―and by their gender. From a managerial point of view, results have direct implications on the administrators of mountain institutions who can implement appropriate initiatives in order to correctly sensitise Millennials towards mountain sports. Moreover, from a theoretical perspective, the study opens a new scenario on two important topics linked to sustainability, namely Millennials and mountain sports.
Highlights
As other productive sectors, tourism is experiencing a phase of deep metamorphosis, mainly related to recent needs of the demand to integrate different meanings of the concept of sustainability, i.e., economic, environmental, social and institutional [1,2,3,4]
Considering the three research questions (RQs) formulated, findings were divided into three sections; precisely, the first shows the sustainability-oriented features of the Millennials sample, the second focuses on mountain tourism, while the third section provides the results referred to mountain sports and the related sustainability perception
The main issue on which families have sensitised students is waste disposal. This finding is interesting as it could demonstrate that Millennials are generally aware of sustainability and, above all, they consider it necessary to be informed about this issue
Summary
Tourism is experiencing a phase of deep metamorphosis, mainly related to recent needs of the demand to integrate different meanings of the concept of sustainability, i.e., economic, environmental, social and institutional [1,2,3,4]. The modern tourist is oriented to focus on themes geared towards more sustainable urban behaviour [5], management of natural and environmental resources [6,7,8], rediscovery of rural areas [9,10,11,12] and, generally, environmental protection This attitude is evident when mountain areas are taken into account. Administrators of mountain facilities should follow up and monitor market changes and, where appropriate, be prepared to respond to new needs by implementing competitiveness tools These tools adequately integrate the concept of innovation based on different means, such as socio-cultural sustainability, stakeholder participation, environmental sustainability and reactiveness [28,29,30]
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