Purpose This study aims to investigate how green intellectual capital (GIC) contributes to sustainable business performance (SBP) in Vietnam’s hospitality sector by examining the mediating roles of green human resource management (GHRM) and green innovation (GI), as well as the enabling influence of environmental regulations (ERs) and green transformational leadership (GTL). It extends the resource-based view, the natural resource-based view and institutional theory by focusing on Vietnam’s hospitality industry, which is characterized by labor intensity, uneven regulatory enforcement and cultural barriers to sustainability adoption. Design/methodology/approach A survey was distributed to 436 departmental and general managers from hotels and resorts located in major tourist destinations across Vietnam. The proposed relationships among green capabilities, organizational practices and sustainable outcomes were tested using partial least squares–structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that GIC significantly influences GI and GHRM, which in turn enhance SBP, ERs and GTL exert both direct and indirect effects on performance outcomes. The mediation analysis confirms the complementary roles of GI and GHRM in translating GIC into sustainability outcomes. Although these overall effects are generally positive, the findings also reveal boundary conditions related to financial and technical resources that may constrain the implementation of advanced sustainability initiatives in the hospitality sector. Originality/value This study enriches sustainability research by illustrating how context-specific dimensions of GIC, including frontline environmental behaviors, organizational processes and stakeholder collaboration, are mobilized through ERs and GTL in an emerging economy characterized by weak institutional enforcement. The findings offer practical knowledge for hospitality managers seeking to integrate sustainability into human resource and innovation systems and provide policymakers with evidence on how regulatory alignment and leadership commitment can jointly accelerate sustainable transformation in the hospitality industry.

While facilitating tourists’ personal transformation, wellness healers simultaneously navigate their own quest for well-being in delivering wellness tourism services. However, existing research predominantly focuses on tourists’ psychological transformation, while the well-being of wellness healers who provide socioemotional labor often remains understudied. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response theory, this study aims to examine how social job characteristics influence wellness healers’ well-being within wellness tourism workplaces. A quantitative design and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) approach were implemented, with data collected from 312 wellness healers across tourism destinations. Results demonstrate that social job characteristics have substantial positive impacts on wellness healers’ mental health, social skills, and well-being. Social skills not only directly improve mental health but also serve as mediating factors connecting social job characteristics to well-being. The fsQCA results reveal three configurations that lead to high well-being. These findings advance tourism theory by clarifying the psychological mechanisms underlying sustainable service delivery in experience-based tourism. For practice, they offer destination managers evidence-based strategies for designing supportive tourism workplaces that enhance both healer well-being and tourism experience quality, ultimately contributing to destination competitiveness through sustainable human resource practices.

Mass tourism is rising globally, and Sintra, located near Lisbon, exemplifies its challenges. Once picturesque, the town now faces frequent overtourism episodes. This qualitative, descriptive case study explores the issue. After a literature review, eight stakeholder interviews were conducted. Participants included heritage managers, DMCs, guide associations, and two residents’ groups focused on sustainability and quality of life. Although key institutional actors declined participation, the study evaluates tourism’s impact on Sintra’s development. Butler’s model was also used to find the current development stage of this tourist destination, which has great cultural and natural importance. Findings reveal widespread concerns and strategic suggestions. To reduce pressure, stakeholders call for better information systems, capacity management tools, and promotion of lesser-known areas. Improved infrastructure – parking and public transport – is also advised. Mass tourism has tarnished Sintra’s image and visitor experience. Without integrated management, cultural and environmental damage looms.

ABSTRACT Wine tourism holds considerable promise for enhancing rural resilience, yet its entrepreneurial dynamics remain insufficiently understood in post-socialist contexts. This study explores the structural and perceived barriers that limit winegrowers’ participation in tourism in Czechia, representing the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. Drawing on institutional and rural entrepreneurship theory, and informed by a quantitative survey, we examine how vineyard size, business maturity, and regional conditions shape the perception of constraints. Results indicate that newer and smaller wineries face disproportionately high regulatory and financial burdens, compounded by uneven support systems across sub-regions. While the findings resonate with known challenges in rural entrepreneurship, they also highlight unique spatial inequalities within emerging wine tourism destinations. By emphasising the interplay between local conditions and entrepreneurial capacity, the study offers context-sensitive policy recommendations and contributes to the debate on adaptive planning approaches for rural tourism development in post-socialist economies.

This article examines graduate employability challenges in the tourism and hospitality sector of Marrakech, a major tourism destination and strategic regional labour market in Morocco, characterised by strong seasonality, high labour turnover, and persistent education–employment mismatches. Rather than focusing exclusively on technology, the study analyses employability as a multidimensional and context-dependent process, in which digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) constitute one influencing factor among others. The research adopts a qualitative, purposive design based on semi-structured interviews conducted between August and October 2025 with 20 stakeholders directly involved in recruitment, training, or early career integration. These include five-star hotel general managers and HR officers, riad managers, travel agencies, recruitment intermediaries, representatives of Morocco’s public employment service (ANAPEC—National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills) and private, regional tourism authorities, academics and young tourism graduates. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed using NVivo to identify recurrent patterns in recruitment practices, skill expectations, and the impact of AI in employability. The results, reflecting stakeholders’ perceptions within this local labour market, show that employability is shaped by six interrelated dimensions: (1) the structure and functioning of the tourism labour market (segmentation, turnover, mobility); (2) partial misalignment between training provision and operational service realities; (3) recruitment standards that prioritise behavioural and relational competences alongside formal qualifications, particularly for frontline positions; (4) language proficiency, especially English and French, as a baseline employability condition; (5) growing expectations regarding digital literacy linked to tourism operations (property management systems, reservation platforms, online reputation management); and (6) the perceived impact of AI-enabled tools (automation of routine tasks, decision-support systems, chatbots), which is seen less as a source of job destruction than as a driver of task reconfiguration and skill upgrading. By situating employer and graduate perceptions within the broader Moroccan employment and training context, the study contributes a place-based understanding of employability in tourism. It highlights the shared responsibility of individuals, employers, and education and training institutions in supporting skill development. The article concludes by discussing policy and practice-oriented levers to strengthen graduate employability, including co-designed curricula, structured internships and mentoring schemes, employer-supported upskilling in tourism-specific digital and AI-related competences, and reinforced labour-market intermediation through ANAPEC and regional governance actors.

Over time, tourism has changed its relationship with the island of Djerba. At the start of its development, tourism to this island in south-east Tunisia was more territorial than the mass beach tourism of today, which is concentrated in the eastern coastal area of the island. This has had consequences for the destination itself, which has shown little resilience in the face of crises (Hellal, 2021), and has been responsible for the permanent closure of several hotels in Djerba, which are signs of the end of the tourism cycle (Butler, 1980). So, after the upheaval of the island's economic system under the crushing weight of tourism, the latter is now tending to renew itself in order to survive. This is reflected in the attempt to upgrade the existing tourism product by diversifying it and renewing the image of the island, which is overflowing with heritage assets. With a view to developing tourism in Djerba on a regional basis, local stakeholders are being encouraged to develop events and to promote the island's cultural assets as a way of enhancing its appeal. In the age of digital technology and m-tourism, mobile applications are helping to develop a form of tourism that is more local and more sustainable. By way of problem, we ask here: how can Djerba's tourism system, which is reputed to be a mass tourism destination, meet the challenge of renewing its image in the age of sustainable development and digital technology? To answer this question, we use direct observations and interviews in the field, supported by official statistics on the development of tourism in Djerba and webgraphic research, which are compared with theory and literature. Keywords: Djerba, tourism, image, renewal, sustainable and digital development

Purpose As a distinctive form of tourism destination, nostalgic consumption spaces have gained increasing popularity among visitors. Despite this growth, many such destinations face persistent challenges, including tourist complaints, operational inefficiencies and difficulties in achieving sustainable long-term development. This study aims to examine the antecedents of tourism advocacy and to investigate how advocacy contributes to the sustainable development of nostalgic consumption spaces. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework, this study develops a conceptual model to explain the formation mechanism of tourism destination advocacy. Using survey data collected from visitors to nostalgic consumption spaces, the proposed relationships among nostalgic emotions, perceived value, tourism advocacy and visitor engagement are empirically tested through quantitative analysis. Findings The results demonstrate that nostalgic emotions and perceived value significantly and positively influence tourism advocacy. Furthermore, tourism advocacy plays a critical role in enhancing visitor engagement, which in turn strengthens competitiveness and supports the sustainable development of nostalgic tourism destinations. Practical implications This study provides important managerial and policy implications for the sustainable management of nostalgic consumption spaces. Specifically, destination managers and policymakers can leverage different dimensions of nostalgia to stimulate visitor advocacy, improve service quality and enhance emotional connections with visitors. These strategies can help mitigate tourist complaints, reduce operational inefficiencies and promote long-term sustainable growth of nostalgic tourism destinations. Originality/value This study advances the literature on tourism advocacy by examining it within the context of nostalgic consumption spaces. By deconstructing nostalgia into distinct dimensions and empirically testing their differential effects using the SOR framework, this research extends theoretical understanding of emotional mechanisms in tourism behavior and offers practical guidance for enhancing destination competitiveness and sustainability.

The Labuan Bajo Super Priority Tourism Destination Area (DPSP), which includes the archipelago, is undergoing intensive social, economic, cultural and environmental transformation due to the acceleration of tourism development. This article aims to identify the demographic, socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the islanders in the Labuan Bajo DPSP area, analyze their interaction patterns with tourists and formulate policy recommendations that can support the development of sustainable population-based tourism. The research method was carried out through a qualitative approach, including household surveys, in-depth interviews and participatory observations. The results of the study show that the demographic characteristics of the islanders are dominated by young people and a large number with a relatively low educational character. Economically, the population is still dependent on marine resources with the distribution of the population consisting of the Ata Modo, Bajo, Bugis and Manggarai tribes who still maintain their cultural and ritual values. The pattern of socio-economic interaction is characterized by increasing the intensity of contact between local residents, tourists, tourism actors and the government which has an impact on economic change with the transition of the population from fishermen to workers in tourism services. So that the importance of the involvement of local residents in the planning and implementation of tourism development so that tourism is created based on local communities.

This paper aims to study the tourism opportunities through the renovation of the craft village Pranpur in Chanderi district Ashok Nagar, Madhya Pradesh, India. The research was conducted to investigate the potential for transforming a craft village into a tourist destination. The purpose of this study is to examine how the transformation of Pranpur into a craft-tourism hub has influenced the livelihoods of artisans, their cultural practices, and the economic opportunities available to them. The primary data collection was through direct observations and the incorporation of well-structured interviews. The research findings revealed a connection between the economy and the enhancement of the village’s landscape through renovation and beautification based on the traditional craft of Chanderi handloom weaving. The results of the paper contribute to the influence of design, color, tradition, and textile motifs inspired by the Bundelkhand region, how a craft village can be transformed into a tourist hub and influences the perception of artisans, their families and tourists. The findings of the research open further avenues for research work in understanding the perception of Pranpur’s habitats and their awareness with reference to conservation of local heritage. There is a further scope of reviving underutilized craft hubs into new tourism destinations pan India.

ABSTRACT Governance structures in tourism destinations are often influenced by power dynamics. This research explores the interplay of power dynamics in shaping the governance during the inception of a tourist route – a unique format of tourism that brings together diverse stakeholders from across the Southern Region of Brazil. The focus of this research is to examine the planning, design, and implementation processes of the “Rota dos Capitéis”, an initiative currently unfolding across ten cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The qualitative approach employed interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis. The findings reveal a pervasive exercise of power across all layers of the route planning process, hinting at the potential impact of these power dynamics on governance arrangements and the development process. This study contributes to the debates related to power dynamics and tourism development, providing a framework for a more democratic and participatory governance structure embracing local stakeholders.

ABSTRACT In this study, the effects on Customer -Based Destination Brand Equity (CBDBE) by Memorable Tourism Experiences (MTEs) through destination attachment within wellness tourism is analysed. The theoretical foundation is based on the S-O-R Theory [Stimulus (S) -Organism (O) -Response (R)]. The research investigates the effects of wellness-focused MTEs (S) on destination attachment (O), which will finally affect the dimensions of CBDBE (R): brand loyalty, brand image, perceived quality, and brand awareness. As the yoga capital of the world, Rishikesh was chosen for this study, as it is a major wellness tourist destination offering a wide range of wellness retreats, luxury spas, and famous ashrams. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increased demand from tourists looking for wellness experiences to relax both physically and mentally. Despite the growing importance of wellness tourism, limited research links MTEs to destination branding in this niche segment of tourism. Furthermore, it explores how this emotional bond influences key dimensions of CBDBE. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to analyse these interrelationships within the context of wellness tourism in the Indian setting.

Food waste is a growing environmental, nutritional, and economic concern, particularly in tourism-dependent regions. Labuan Bajo, a priority tourism destination in Indonesia, faces challenges in food waste management due to seasonal tourist influx, limited infrastructure, and reliance on outsourced food. This study aimed to comprehensively assess food waste generation, composition, destinations, recovery potential, and associated impacts across households and non-household sources, including hotels, restaurants, food stalls, cafés, traditional markets, and tourist boats. Data were collected through direct weighing, surveys, interviews, and secondary sources. The total food waste was estimated at 4,836 tons, with non-household sources contributing slightly more than households (51%). Most waste was repurposed as animal feed (58.9%), while 25.4% went to landfill and 8.7% was disposed of at sea. Edible parts accounted for over half of the waste (55%), with a notable portion recoverable for human consumption (24%). Drivers of food waste included consumer preferences, cultural habits, inadequate food management, and strict quality and safety standards. The findings highlight the substantial influence of tourism on waste generation and emphasize the potential for surplus food recovery. Evidence-based, context-specific strategies are recommended to reduce food waste, enhance food security, and support sustainable tourism in Labuan Bajo.

The study focuses on measuring factors affecting tourists’ satisfaction and intention to return to a destination in Vietnam. The theoretical model is built on basement of “Expectation - Perception,” American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI) and Holsat, suitable for the context of Vietnam tourism. Through surveying 398 observation samples using SPSS 29 and AMOS 29 software, testing unidirectional, multidirectional concepts and SEM linear structural model, the study has shown that tourists’ satisfaction and return intention to the destinations in Vietnam is not only directly affected by destination image, perceived service quality, perceived value, perceived attractiveness, but also indirectly affected by expectations. The conclusions of the model are valuable in proposing management implications for tourism service businesses, destination managers and state tourism management agencies in Vietnam.

The rapid development of the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (KEK) has given rise to the phenomenon of decreasing the competitiveness of the Senggigi tourist destination as a tourist area that developed earlier. This research aims to analyze the impact of the development of the Mandalika SEZ on reducing the competitiveness of the Senggigi tourist destination by considering the perceptions of tourism stakeholders. The research approach used was quantitative by distributing questionnaires to 115 respondents consisting of Business Actors, Government/Private, Academics, Community, and Media/Influencers. Data analysis was carried out using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The research results show that promotion and competition variables have a significant effect on destination competitiveness, while facilities and accessibility do not have a significant effect. The coefficient of determination (R²) value of 0.641 indicates that the exogenous construct has strong explanatory power regarding endogenous variables. These findings confirm that adaptive promotional strategies and increasing competitiveness based on collaboration are the keys to the revitalization of Senggigi amidst the dominance of the Mandalika SEZ development.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the changes in the business environment, such as technological developments, have transformed tourism employment. Simultaneously, the complexities of tourism employment and workforce input have been overlooked in tourism research. This study aims to increase overall understanding of how tourism companies and their workforce see the present main discourses of employment together with its challenges and solutions. The context of the study is a niche tourism destination in Northern Europe, Finland where micro-size companies dominate the sector. In this qualitative research, data consisted of ten semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was performed to capture the attached patterned meanings. The findings confirm that tourism employment has different nuances in different contexts with attracting and retaining a skilled workforce as the major concern. Employing people with specialist skills and upskilling are the key issues strongly interlinked with business growth, competitiveness, and renewal. Business and product development, establishing work ecosystems, innovative means of promoting vacancies in collaboration with authorities, and developing an inclusive organisational culture are suggested as the main solutions to approach employment challenges.

ABSTRACT Soundscape is not only the main attraction element in tourism destinations but also a key factor that affects tourists’ experience and behaviour. However, it has been relatively overlooked in tourism research. This study, which is based on the Reasonable Person Model, investigates how tourists’ soundscape perception affects their pro-environmental behaviour, taking into account the mediating role of place attachment and well-being. In the case of Lijiang Old Town, a survey was conducted among 330 Chinese tourists. The results indicated that soundscape perception positively influences place dependence and identity. Both place dependence and identity positively affect hedonic well-being and eudaemonic well-being. Moreover, both hedonic and eudaemonic well-being positively affect pro-environmental behaviour. Lastly, place attachment and well-being play a chain mediation role between soundscape perception and pro-environmental behaviour. This study offers implications for tourism site managers to improve visitors’ well-being and pro-environmental behaviour by optimising the soundscape environment.

This study extends previous research on the Plaza Bukit Surga tourism destination, which previously used the Business Model Canvas (BMC) and SWOT analysis to identify weaknesses in marketing and resource utilization. To enhance strategic decision-making, this study integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the BMC framework, resulting in an AI-Enhanced Business Model Canvas for sustainable tourism development. Data were derived from studies conducted between 2022 and 2024, including visitor and revenue records, and were complemented with recent Google Maps reviews collected in 2025. The reviews were analyzed using AI to identify patterns in visitor perception. The findings show that 83.50% of visitors express positive sentiment, particularly noting natural scenery, hospitality, and affordability, while negative sentiments highlight accessibility issues and limited facility maintenance. Integrating AI-driven insights strengthens the Customer Relationship, Value Proposition, and Revenue Streams components, producing a more adaptive and data-driven business model. Overall, the study demonstrates that combining traditional qualitative approaches with AI-based sentiment analysis can enhance strategic planning and support sustainable management in community-based tourism destinations

As a well-known tourist destination in China, Wuhan's tourism industry has faced sustainable development challenges in recent years. Regional development imbalance, insufficient transportation accessibility, and limited tourism capacity have become the core constraints to its high-quality sustainable development. This paper focuses on the synergistic enhancement effect of Wuhan's rail transit and urban cultural tourism. Based on GIS geographic information data support, the Wilson model is constructed to systematically calculate the tourist transportation network attraction and analyze spatial autocorrelation, combined with empirical research to explore the path for overcoming bottlenecks. The survey results show: 1) The subway helps to promote urban tourism transportation; 2) The subway serves residents' daily life more than it develops tourism; 3) The subway's role in promoting urban tourism is greater than its role in scenic area tourism. Based on the above results, the findings of this study provide theoretical support and practical paradigms for government departments in formulating sustainable development strategies for metro tourism transportation planning, construction, and operational management decisions and practices.

The growing need for efficient night lighting in natural tourist destinations highlights the importance of reliable and sustainable energy solutions. This study analyzes the optimization of solar-based lighting at Bukit Kunci, Indonesia, using the Open Energy Modelling Framework (OEMOF) combined with real-time monitoring via the IoT ThingSpeak platform. Photovoltaic (PV) panel data recorded at 15-second intervals during February–July 2025, yielding 532,520 records, were cleaned and aggregated as input to model the interaction of PV, batteries, LED lights, inverters, and backup generators, to minimize lifecycle cost and energy loss. Results indicate that the current PV capacity (0.4 kWp) supplies less than 50% of lighting demand, with a high levelized cost of energy (≈9.2 USD/kWh) and low reliability (self-sufficiency 3–22%). Optimization through capacity expansion (≈224 modules, ≈1.25 kWh storage) eliminated load loss probability and reduced LCOE to ≈0.05 USD/kWh. This approach demonstrates OEMOF’s potential to enhance system efficiency, ensure reliable night lighting, and support eco-tourism while offering replicability for rural destinations.

Development of Pelawan Tourist Attractions Through Strengthening Pokdarwis in West Pangke, Karimun Regency This community service activity aims to support the development of the tourist attraction of Pelawan Beach, Karimun Regency, by strengthening the role of the Tourism Awareness Group (Pokdarwis) and the participation of the local community. Pelawan Beach has natural tourism potential in the form of white sand, panoramic sea views, and sunset views, but its management is still not optimal, especially in terms of supporting facilities and promotion. The scope of this service includes community service activities based on student social internships in supporting coastal tourism destinations. The service method is implemented through social internship activities for students of the Sociology Study Program of Raja Ali Haji Maritime University, with work programs including building beach swings, wooden bridges as photo spots, creating mini parks, community empowerment socialisation, and making identity signs. The results of the activity show that the addition of simple tourism facilities and educational activities can increase the visual appeal of the destination and support social media-based tourism promotion. In addition, the socialisation carried out increased public awareness of the importance of involvement in tourism management. This activity shows that collaboration between students, Pokdarwis and the local community plays a vital role in the development of sustainable coastal tourism