Sustainable tourism: a review of research themes and needs

Authors

• Jarkko Saarinen University of Oulu http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9327-6932

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33351/mt.145054

Keywords:

sustainable tourism, national parks, rural tourism, climate change, local communities

Abstract

Sustainability is one of the central themes of tourism research, and it is a key target for the future development of the tourism sector. This review paper aims to examine the main research themes of sustainable tourism based on the papers published in the Finnish Journal of Tourism Research (Matkailututkimus) in 2005-2023, especially, and discuss how these themes relate to the international research field of sustainable tourism. Furthermore, the paper identifies current and future research needs. Based on the published articles, the main themes in sustainable tourism research have been: (1) Sustainable tourism in protected areas and their management; (2) Sustainable tourism and related topics; (3) Cultures, localities and communities in sustainable tourism; (4) Climate change and sustainable tourism; and (5) Rural tourism and sustainability. Sustainable tourism research, as published in the journal, has largely followed the changing themes and issues in international research. However, there are also research gaps. Compared to the international research in sustainable tourism, perhaps the most central one is research on sustainable tourism development outside protected areas. In addition, studies on sustainable tourism indicators, the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), and the responsibility and justice of global tourism, which are highly visible in international research, are mainly missing. In the future, there is also a need for further research into the relations between tourism, sustainability, and climate change; especially the possibilities of decoupling the development of tourism from the growth of carbon dioxide emissions constitute an important future research avenue