The increase in individual sports activities is stimulating the rise of sport-related forms of vacationing. This is further intensified by tourists seeking authentic experiences in host–guest relations, physical health and well-being, and the consumption of local products and services. Communities, especially those in developing countries, do not yet fully recognize the potential of local sports as a resource and competitive advantage in their destination development. In the same way, tourism research is lacking analyses regarding the role of the community and its specific sports identity. Given this, the present paper aims to systematically review the promising interface between community development and sports tourism. The research questions are based on the potential of identity-based sports and necessary local engagement. These efforts are pursued through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with 49 articles. The results reveal the thematic clusters, research features, and prevalent challenges and benefits that the community has to deal with. The discussion proposes the utilization of local sports identity in systematic product development and highlights increasing local engagement. In conclusion, we call for future research on non-event-related sports tourism, in-depth case studies, and multi-disciplinary concepts to foster local sustainability.

Digitalization, new work and leisure concepts and global challenges are transforming the way we live. More stakeholders, including residents and entrepreneurs, actively participate in the implementation of alternative socio-economic concepts; as such, entrepreneurial ecosystems are seen as drivers of regional development. The research still lacks holistic approaches to the application of ecosystems in tourism destinations. Hence, the objectives of this article are to capture research on entrepreneurial ecosystems in tourism and, specifically, to derive a holistic model that integrates destination and location management across stakeholders. This research utilizes the method of a systematic literature review, starting with 597 articles on ecosystems. Following four stages of exploring the literature, the results show that most articles have been published in rather isolated fields of smart tourism or quality of life aspects. Based on the rather qualitative review that reveals specific ecosystem components, we propose a model of an “Ecosystem of Hospitality” (EoH). Focusing on stakeholder interaction and encounters, the EoH fosters the adoption of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to destinations in a dynamic approach. The practical implications are, for example, a broader consideration of various stakeholders, including the local population, and a switch in typical destination management tasks from mere tourism service production to regional development and living space management.

The dark tourism spectrum is the range of touristic sites, activities and attractions can be labelled dark. Dark tourism is referred to as the act of travel to sites associated with death, suffering and the seemingly macabre. While dark tourism as a research field is relatively new and has received increased academic attention since the late 1990s, it is not a new concept or niche within tourism. There is also a question of whether some places seem to be ‘darker’ than others. There is a fluid spectrum between darkest and lightest places and a total number of seven potential product categories. Darkest places alongside the spectrum are dark camps of genocide like, for example, the former concentration camp Auschwitz, while the lightest places are, for instance, so-called dark fun factories like chambers of horror that recreate historic events in an entertaining manner.

This book addresses the increasing global competition among both business locations and destinations for attractive businesses and investors, infrastructure, funding and humans in the role of visitors, residents or workers. It focuses on the place management approach – the integration of location and destination management – which has seen a tremendous growth in significance over the past years. The book includes recent developments in the context of digitization or the COVID-19 pandemic. It is organized in seven parts, moving from general definitions to normative, strategic and operative place management and marketing and concluding with seven case studies.