Purpose – Like any economic sector, the tourism industry encounters growing pressures to achieve a viable balance between economic growth, environmental preservation, and societal welfare. Contemporary strategies for tourism governance frequently place a greater emphasis on economic advancement, thereby overlooking the significance of environmental and social considerations. The objective of this study is to investigate how the multiple actors involved in tourism systems can effectively interact to co-create value by integrating the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Design/Methodology/Approach – This paper introduces a comprehensive framework inspired by the Viable Systems Approach (vSa) for addressing the challenges of balancing economic progress with environmental and social well-being in the tourism sector. It adopts the VSA framework of the Triple Helix of Sustainability (THS) to highlight the main challenges for effective integrated governance of sustainable tourism systems. Findings/Results – Maintaining profitability conditions while addressing challenging expectations at both environmental and social levels implies that tourism management addresses a variety of diverse requirements. This variety is further complicated by the involvement of multiple actors characterized by different interests and goals and the transitional and seasonal characteristics inherent to the tourism industry that introduce a certain variability to manage. In such a direction, the study highlights the contribution of the THS, a governance framework that integrates the Triple Bottom Line with the Triple Helix of Innovation, providing guidance for science, policy, and industry actors to make tourism sustainable. Originality/Value – Developing long-term strategies for sustainable tourism is challenging because tourist systems are multi-actor and constantly changing. Strategic issues like an interplay of multiple different stakeholders, in addition to practical problems like seasonal changes in visitors’ numbers, changing consumer tastes, and global economic trends, can all make it very hard to converge toward sustainable tourism models. Through the THS, systems thinking could support key actors in better catching and understanding the multidimensionality of sustainability and the ways to harmonize the variety to manage. Research/Practical/Social/Environmental Implications – Effectively integrating the Tourism and Hospitality Sector into the tourism industry requires a deep understanding of complex feedback mechanisms and adapting to dynamic conditions. This adaptation is necessary to ensure economic growth aligns with environmental and social considerations. This study offers guidance to policymakers and organizations responsible for overall governance. It also provides insights to academic institutions and scholars who play a crucial role in envisioning new scenarios. Limits of the research/future directions – One limitation of this study is the reliance on theoretical literature without empirical studies to supplement it. A potential avenue for future research involves using empirical methods to explore how systems thinking and the THS can be practically applied in real-world tourism governance contexts.

Sustainable Tourism Governance: a systems thinking Triple Helix approach

Saviano M.
;
Heidari M.
;
Verderese D.
2024-01-01

Abstract

Purpose – Like any economic sector, the tourism industry encounters growing pressures to achieve a viable balance between economic growth, environmental preservation, and societal welfare. Contemporary strategies for tourism governance frequently place a greater emphasis on economic advancement, thereby overlooking the significance of environmental and social considerations. The objective of this study is to investigate how the multiple actors involved in tourism systems can effectively interact to co-create value by integrating the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Design/Methodology/Approach – This paper introduces a comprehensive framework inspired by the Viable Systems Approach (vSa) for addressing the challenges of balancing economic progress with environmental and social well-being in the tourism sector. It adopts the VSA framework of the Triple Helix of Sustainability (THS) to highlight the main challenges for effective integrated governance of sustainable tourism systems. Findings/Results – Maintaining profitability conditions while addressing challenging expectations at both environmental and social levels implies that tourism management addresses a variety of diverse requirements. This variety is further complicated by the involvement of multiple actors characterized by different interests and goals and the transitional and seasonal characteristics inherent to the tourism industry that introduce a certain variability to manage. In such a direction, the study highlights the contribution of the THS, a governance framework that integrates the Triple Bottom Line with the Triple Helix of Innovation, providing guidance for science, policy, and industry actors to make tourism sustainable. Originality/Value – Developing long-term strategies for sustainable tourism is challenging because tourist systems are multi-actor and constantly changing. Strategic issues like an interplay of multiple different stakeholders, in addition to practical problems like seasonal changes in visitors’ numbers, changing consumer tastes, and global economic trends, can all make it very hard to converge toward sustainable tourism models. Through the THS, systems thinking could support key actors in better catching and understanding the multidimensionality of sustainability and the ways to harmonize the variety to manage. Research/Practical/Social/Environmental Implications – Effectively integrating the Tourism and Hospitality Sector into the tourism industry requires a deep understanding of complex feedback mechanisms and adapting to dynamic conditions. This adaptation is necessary to ensure economic growth aligns with environmental and social considerations. This study offers guidance to policymakers and organizations responsible for overall governance. It also provides insights to academic institutions and scholars who play a crucial role in envisioning new scenarios. Limits of the research/future directions – One limitation of this study is the reliance on theoretical literature without empirical studies to supplement it. A potential avenue for future research involves using empirical methods to explore how systems thinking and the THS can be practically applied in real-world tourism governance contexts.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11386/4866273
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