Growing numbers of tourist arrivals, in combination with community-centered tourism products, have fueled the recent debate on overtourism and a redefining of local steering processes. This has also called for the participation of residents in governance processes. One tool to utilize residents’ participation and cross-stakeholder involvement is the Living Lab (LL), which also functions as a medium for self-organization. This article tackles the research gap that exists in the combination of the LL mechanisms and destination governance (DG). Therefore, the research questions address the characteristics and mechanisms of LLs and the potential for residents’ participation. These efforts are operationalized through a systematic literature review (SLR) on LLs, which involves 40 articles. The transfer of the LL characteristics towards DG reveals that certain drivers and barriers exist when implementing the LL in the governance process, such as the combination of destination and city planning or the redefining of hierarchical structures. The SLR recommendations for future research are based on the interface of LL and DG.

The transformation of the tourism industry to ensure more sustainable consumption and production practices also requires the transformation of tourists. Tourism is assumed to possess the potential for cathartic experiences that can positively influence individual transformation. This individual transformation is often overlooked in the sustainability debate. As tourists can accelerate system transformation and contribute to the fulfilment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, more research is needed to understand individual transformation. This conceptual paper puts tourists into the spotlight and adopts a sociopsychological lens to explore how experience-based reflexivity can contribute to individual transformation towards sustainable travel. We argue that two interrelated perspectives are needed as analytical tools, i.e. process and systemic perspectives, and propose two models: The Reflected-Self-Model and the Reflexive-Agent-Model. We suggest that reflection needs to be understood as a critical component in building awareness and changing attitudes, actions, and practices that translate into individual transformation. With the limitations of this conceptual paper in mind, several thought-provoking avenues for future research are proposed. We argue that more research is needed that investigates intermediate stages in the attitude–behaviour gap, bridges individual and system transformation, integrates experiences in travel and home environments, and explores individual resilience.

Currently, tourist destinations are, more than ever, confronted with specific challenges and also negative impacts arising from overarching developments. In order to address such challenges and to reduce negative impacts resulting from tourism, sustainable development has emerged as a widely accepted approach. Under special consideration of seemingly successful destinations, this article aims to identify complementary strategies towards sustainability in tourism, instead of developing completely new strategies which replace the existing ones. This will be done in the course of endogenous values and structures within a destination. To discuss this issue, the Canary island of Lanzarote is used as case in point, via a qualitative interview series consisting of eleven interviews with different direct and indirect tourism stakeholders from the island, which have been evaluated according to the GABEK^®-method (German abbreviation for “GAnzheitliche BEwältigung von Komplexität”: holistic coping of complexity). The results show that aspects of mass tourism have a negative impact on the island and therefore a seemingly successful destination, at least in quantitative terms, is confronted with issues of sustainability and a need for action. In this field, diversification regarding both new offers and target groups is helpful to enable tourism and regional development to be more sustainable. In consequence and from a conceptual point of view, alternative product development as a new approach towards sustainability in tourism within established destinations will be presented.

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse how leisure boat tourism impacts are perceived by local communities in coastal areas. For this purpose, a review of the literature on nautical and leisure boat tourism, together with residents’ attitudes, is presented. On that basis, authors consider economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts, together with general development and future policies of nautical tourism, and cluster the coastal community according to their attitudes towards leisure boat tourism.Design/methodology/approach: Primary data are collected among residents of coastal municipalities in the north part of the Adriatic Sea. Within the theoretical framework of social representation, a cluster analysis is performed on 233 valid questionnaires, collected during winter 2013.Findings: Interviewed residents believe that leisure boating has a long tradition and has offered improvements to the municipalities as tourism destinations. They consider leisure boat tourism as a catalyst for tourism development and international tourists’ attraction. The cluster analysis reveals the existence of three homogeneous groups of residents labelled as supporters (51 per cent), cautious (29 per cent) and sceptics (20 per cent).Practical implications: Practical implications are derived for destination managers and destination management organizations (DMOs) in addressing internal marketing and larger advertisement of the positive impacts leisure boat tourism has over the local community.Originality/value: The paper enriches the discussion on residents’ perceptions on nautical tourism and specifically on leisure boat tourism in coastal areas. Limitations are linked to the exploratory nature of the research paper, the sample and the geographical connotation of the study area. Further research will enlarge the data collection to a wider number of coastal communities and integrate results with qualitative analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss responsibility in tourism destinations. On the basis of a resilience approach, central aspects of leadership and of responsibility in destination networks are introduced and, a contribution to a conceptual analysis of the future viability of tourism destinations is made. This contributes to a better understanding of resilience from a destination management organization (DMO) perspective in the context of shared responsibility. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve this goal, a qualitative interview series was conducted with destination managers in urban and rural areas. The interviews were evaluated using the method of GABEK®, in order to reveal and visualize semantic relationships between the specific statements. This method allows the representation of linkages and relationships of keywords from interview transcripts in the form of network graphs. Findings: A major result is the existence of a network of leaders who take responsibility for tourism development within a tourism destination. Within this network, the destination manager once again plays a key role by developing and formulating visions, goals and strategies. In this context, the relevant employees of the DMO have an important role to play, since they are an important resource of tourism development due to their experience and competences. Originality/value: The paper contributes to a practical view on the development of visions and strategies. It analyzes challenges and possible ways to communicate with the required political and public actors of the destination as well as with the service providers to regard destination development as a collaborative task.

Veränderungen auf den Märkten, Auslastungsrückgänge, Überkapazitäten, Kostendruck und Liquiditätsschwierigkeiten verstärken vorhandene Ineffizienzen und machen einen strategischen Wandel bei Tourismusorganisationen erforderlich. Touristische Zielgebiete oder Destinationen, die eigentlichen Wettbewerbseinheiten im Tourismus, spielen in diesem Zusammenhang eine wichtige Rolle. Harald Pechlaner untersucht Möglichkeiten und Wege, ein wettbewerbsfähiges Destinationsmanagement und -marketing unter Berücksichtigung von Effizienz und Effektivität von Tourismusorganisationen zu etablieren, und fasst seine Erkenntnisse in einem Gesamtsystem zusammen. Im Besonderen behandelt er am Beispiel des Kulturtourismus Nachfrage- und Faktorbedingungen, unterstützende Branchen, Strategien und Tourismuspolitik und zeigt, dass diese Bestimmungsfaktoren für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit touristischer Destinationen eng miteinander verwoben sind und dass die Wirkung des einen oft vom Zustand des anderen abhängt.