Table 9

Future research directions

AvenuesFuture research directionsReferences
Behavioural Change and Research1. How can emerging insights from sustainability psychology be applied to close the gap between pro-environmental values and actual consumer behaviour in tourism?Gretzel (2011), White et al. (2019) 
2. How can digital nudging techniques be ethically and effectively integrated into AI-driven platforms to support a long-term, sustainable decision-making process?
3. How can AI-powered recommendation systems, behavioural data mining, and personalisation software be integrated with sustainability rewards to encourage travellers to choose low-impact travel options?
Sustainability-Oriented Technological InnovationHow can emerging technologies such as blockchain-based supply tracking and IoT-based resource optimisation be integrated into smart tourism to enhance sustainability in tourism operations?Koo et al. (2017) 
Regenerative and Inclusive Tourism ModelsHow can the principles of regenerative tourism be implemented to move beyond the limitations of classic ecotourism and actively restore ecosystems and support local communities through travel?Bellato et al. (2023), Buzinde and Caterina-Knorr (2023) 
How can responsive development, community-capital building, and multi-stakeholder co-creation be effectively applied to empower disadvantaged areas through sustainable tourism initiatives?
Resilience and Adaptive GovernanceHow can new models of tourism resilience incorporate real-time risk tracking, mobility trend analysis, and dynamic crisis management systems to better prepare for future disruptions?Prideaux and Beirman (2024) 
How can adaptive governance structures be designed to incorporate real-time risk tracking, mobility trend analysis, and dynamic crisis management in response to growing socio-environmental complexity?
Temporal and Predictive Sustainability ModellingHow can future studies compare Prophet with other forecasting methods, such as ARIMA and LSTM, while incorporating confidence calibration and dynamic SDG-tracking dashboards to support evidence-based policymaking for sustainable development?Menculini et al. (2021) 
Intersectional and Contextual Case-Based AnalysisHow can a mixed-methods approach, such as spatial mapping, ethnography, and participatory tools, be used to uncover latent narratives in stable but low-growth tourism contexts and inform more inclusive and locally relevant tourism planning?Truong et al. (2014) 
Policy and Investment AlignmentHow can academic research in tourism be better aligned with funding flows, national sustainability plans, and international standards such as GSTC, UNWTO sustainability indicators, and ESG metrics to close the research-policy-action loop?Spenceley (2021), UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) (2022) 
Source(s): Authors' work

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