In recent years, there has been a noticeable spread in tourism development across new countries, less-travelled regions, and places within established destinations. The growing demand for more authentic and lesser-known destinations has emerged as a significant trend, creating pressures that induce substantial changes in areas that once managed to balance tourism development effectively.
Many destinations previously showcased as best practice examples for moderate and sustainable tourism are now experiencing heightened market pressure to accelerate and expand their tourism activities. Once established, measures for managing visitor numbers seem not to be sufficient any longer. Overtourism poses an even greater challenge for rural destinations compared to urban destinations, primarily due to the limited infrastructure capacities in rural areas, which are more challenging to expand. Taking the "Pragser Wildsee" (Lake Braies) in South Tyrol as an example—an idyllic small mountain lake in South-Tyrol, which has become an Instagram hotspot—strict parking management, and even road closures have failed to address the problem effectively.
How can small rural destinations re-establish control of their territory? What concepts exist, especially in rural areas, to cope with increasing visitor numbers, related increases in transport demand, and the constantly increasing ignorance of visitors? Is there a growing interest within communities to consider recent academic suggestions of tourism degrowth, demarketing or support efforts of social entrepreneurs?
We welcome papers that address the following areas:
- Sustainability and corporate social responsibility in rural tourism
- Overtourism in rural areas and its associated challenges
- Smart rural tourism destinations and local community development
- Rural community resilience to tourism crises and disasters
- Rural tourism entrepreneurship
- Food tourism and rural destinations
- Digital marketing and rural SMEs
- Home-based accommodations in rural destinations and quality management
- Women’s role in developing rural tourism
Keywords:
sustainability, social entrepreneurship, rural areas, governance, regional development, degrowth, overtourism
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable spread in tourism development across new countries, less-travelled regions, and places within established destinations. The growing demand for more authentic and lesser-known destinations has emerged as a significant trend, creating pressures that induce substantial changes in areas that once managed to balance tourism development effectively.
Many destinations previously showcased as best practice examples for moderate and sustainable tourism are now experiencing heightened market pressure to accelerate and expand their tourism activities. Once established, measures for managing visitor numbers seem not to be sufficient any longer. Overtourism poses an even greater challenge for rural destinations compared to urban destinations, primarily due to the limited infrastructure capacities in rural areas, which are more challenging to expand. Taking the "Pragser Wildsee" (Lake Braies) in South Tyrol as an example—an idyllic small mountain lake in South-Tyrol, which has become an Instagram hotspot—strict parking management, and even road closures have failed to address the problem effectively.
How can small rural destinations re-establish control of their territory? What concepts exist, especially in rural areas, to cope with increasing visitor numbers, related increases in transport demand, and the constantly increasing ignorance of visitors? Is there a growing interest within communities to consider recent academic suggestions of tourism degrowth, demarketing or support efforts of social entrepreneurs?
We welcome papers that address the following areas:
- Sustainability and corporate social responsibility in rural tourism
- Overtourism in rural areas and its associated challenges
- Smart rural tourism destinations and local community development
- Rural community resilience to tourism crises and disasters
- Rural tourism entrepreneurship
- Food tourism and rural destinations
- Digital marketing and rural SMEs
- Home-based accommodations in rural destinations and quality management
- Women’s role in developing rural tourism
Keywords:
sustainability, social entrepreneurship, rural areas, governance, regional development, degrowth, overtourism
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.