The present paper examines the evolution of Romanian seaside tourism between 2008–2018 to find the connection between climate change and the number of total tourist arrivals. The vicious cycle of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change has become one of the most critical topics discussed due to its negative effect on the wellbeing of the planet and its impact on sustainable economic development in the long run. Various economic activities, including tourism, could be subject to dramatic changes due to global warming. Depending on the geographical location of tourist destinations, and the degree of fluctuation in climate indicators, there have been dramatic shifts in visitor flow. This situation has been aggravated as countries that were once famous for their summer season and seaside holidays are now affected by high temperatures. Such temperatures can hardly be tolerated by tourists, particularly those from the Nordic countries. By comparison, there are countries that have been known to have only two or three full summer months suitable for tourism at the seaside and which in the last years have had a more extended summer season. This situation could turn into a significant competitive regional economic advantage for countries such as Romania, at least in the short- and medium-term. In this context, we aim to investigate whether there are climatic conditions, such as the extension of the tourist season on the coast (in the case of destinations that have four seasons and are known for having a shorter number of summer days), that can be turned into advantages. In this regard, we have conducted exploratory research to analyse if there is a statistically significant correlation between the indicators regarding climate change and tourism arrivals on the Romanian seaside, namely Constanta county. For our study, we used secondary data, provided by the Romanian National Meteorological Administration and the National Institute of Statistics, and accumulated a detailed profile of Romanian seaside summer tourism in the context of actual climate changes and challenges. Climate change may have significant consequences on the tourism industry and economic growth as well. Information on the direct effects higher temperatures could have on tourism is lacking. Improving policy analysis is necessary to reduce uncertainties, further understanding, assess implications and enable the tourism industry to adapt to changing circumstances.

Since ancient times, people have used salt for cooking and preserving food, its healing benefits, and as a means of payment. Therefore, the first settlements were located near water, food, and preferably salt, as prerequisites to further social and economic development. Naturally, the social development, the healing properties of salt, and the beauty of some salt landscapes have led to the development of tourism as an essential asset for rural communities. This paper aims to investigate the research focusing on the use of salt resources in tourism and to see if the exploitation of salt landscapes is an actual research topic linked to rural development. The study’s primary objectives are to investigate the scientific output in the tourism field, the main drivers in scientific production, and any connection between the importance of salt landscapes in tourism and sustainable rural development. The article represents a bibliometric analysis of 437 scientific articles published in prestigious journals indexed in the Web of Science until November 2023. The results emphasised a need for more research on using salt landscapes and resources in tourism as a central topic, as most identified studies focus on proposing models for the sustainable development of former salt mines and ecosystem restoration using tourism activity. Since many salt mining operations have been closed and the inhabitants of the neighbouring rural localities have been left without the related income, the results of this research are helpful for specialists in the field and for decision-makers to have a clear view of the development trends of areas rich in salt resources for tourism purposes.