The increasing awareness of environmental, social and cultural issues has highlighted the concept of sustainable certification. The aim of this study is to understand the main drivers and constraints for companies to join certification schemes and compare possible changes between the years 2021 and 2024 among tourism companies. A total of 417 online questionnaires were collected, and a comparative study was conducted. The findings show that the drivers for implementing certification schemes are improving the company’s image and customer-based brand equity, strengthening competitiveness, achieving eco-efficiency, cost reduction, and competitive advantage. On the side of the obstacles that discourage the adoption of certification schemes, there are difficulties in meeting the criteria of the certifications, adapting working methods, higher costs, and lower price competitiveness. The results also show that there was a significant increase in the number of certified companies and that women and young entrepreneurs are more sensitive to the implementation of good practices. It has been concluded that although there is greater demand and interest in implementing good tourism practices, people who know less about certification schemes and companies that are not certified have a weaker opinion regarding this topic.

The participation of local communities in decision-making and governance processes is critical to achieve sustainable management of tourist destinations, particularly as anti-tourism protests continue to emerge across Europe. Despite this, many destinations rely on traditional tourism management models that lack consultation mechanisms, often neglecting the needs and concerns of residents. Additionally, Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) frequently fail to provide effective channels, platforms, or processes for local stakeholders to offer feedback and contribute with suggestions. This study seeks to address these challenges by identifying tools and strategies that promote active engagement of local communities in tourism management. Drawing on a literature review of participatory governance, the results present a comprehensive overview of tools and processes that enable active community engagement in the governance and management of tourism destinations. The findings also underscore the importance of integrating community voices into decision-making processes to enhance the sustainability, equity, and resilience of tourism destinations. Theoretically, this study lays a foundation for further exploration of tools designed to enhance community participation in governance and encourages reflection on how participatory governance can be effectively operationalized to balance the needs of local communities with the demands of the tourism industry. From a practical perspective, the findings emphasize the importance of integrating participatory governance into the operational frameworks of DMOs. Such integration not only enhances resident satisfaction, creating a more welcoming environment for tourists, but also attracts visitors in a more sustainable manner.

Smart tourism destinations, embedded by the internet and information and communication technologies, have been improving tourists’ experiences and connectivity. However, Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) still lack knowledge of how digital technologies can enhance their role and bring greater competitive advantage to destinations. In this sense, this study aims to develop an integrated smart tourism destination management ecosystem model that clarifies the relationships between digital technologies, managerial functions, benefits and implementation barriers within the broader smart city context. The study adopts a mixed-review design, combining bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review. Bibliometric mapping was conducted using VOSviewer to analyse co-occurrence networks, thematic clusters and research trends. At the same time, the systematic review, with a systems thinking approach, enabled an in-depth qualitative examination of technological applications, managerial roles and governance implications. Data was gathered from 29 Scopus-indexed articles. The analysis identifies key benefits, including enhanced visitor experiences, improved decision-making and increased destination competitiveness, alongside persistent barriers related to governance, digital literacy, interoperability and cybersecurity. Based on these findings, the study proposes a conceptual ecosystem model that illustrates how DMOs can orchestrate digital technologies to support smart, sustainable and adaptive destination management. This research contributes to the smart tourism and smart cities literature by integrating bibliometric insights with a systems thinking perspective to develop a holistic destination management ecosystem model. Unlike prior reviews that address technologies or outcomes in isolation, this study offers a structured and actionable framework that advances theoretical understanding of smart tourism destinations while providing practical guidance for DMOs engaged in digital transformation.

Sustainable tourism has been widely studied due to its potential to mitigate negative socio-environmental impacts. However, its practices have predominantly focused on impact mitigation, resource efficiency, and responsible management, while regenerative tourism has emerged with a stronger emphasis on restoring and revitalising ecological, social, cultural, and economic systems. This study conducts a systematic literature review of 107 articles to examine sustainable and regenerative tourism practices, identifying and comparing their key themes and characteristics while highlighting areas of similarity and difference between the two approaches. Despite the growing body of research on sustainable and regenerative tourism, limited attention has been given to systematically identifying and comparing the practices associated with these approaches. Documenting and comparing these practices is important for understanding how sustainability and regeneration are translated into concrete actions across different tourism and destination contexts. The results show that sustainable tourism practices emphasise efficiency, environmental management, and harm mitigation, with tourists and local communities more frequently involved in education, awareness, behavioural change, heritage, and community-oriented initiatives. These practices are mainly associated with resource efficiency, waste reduction, sustainable mobility, governance, and digitalisation, and are largely implemented or coordinated by tourism businesses and destination management organisations. Regenerative tourism practices promote restorative and transformative actions, with communities and visitors more consistently positioned as active participants in co-creation and other forms of engagement. They are more strongly oriented towards ecosystem restoration, community participation, local development, and systems thinking, reflecting a more holistic and relational approach. Some practices—such as local sourcing and consumption, waste management, low-carbon measures, and environmental conservation—are shared across both approaches. Overall, sustainable and regenerative tourism practices can be understood as complementary, offering distinct yet converging pathways towards more responsible and future-oriented tourism. The study contributes theoretically by clarifying how sustainable and regenerative tourism are operationalised through practices and by identifying where practices associated with the two approaches differ and overlap. Practically, it provides a structured evidence base to support destination managers, tourism businesses, and policymakers in translating sustainability and regeneration principles into concrete actions.

The transition to more sustainable tourism models is essential to address environmental degradation, the mismanagement of natural resources, and the social challenges exacerbated by overtourism. Within this context, the circular economy (CE) emerges as a solution to make the tourism value chain more efficient and even regenerative. By presenting concrete and diverse examples, this study seeks to inform policymakers and stakeholders of the significant potential of CE strategies in advancing tourism sustainability. Eight practical cases from the Portuguese tourism sector – particularly within hospitality and food service – are examined, each illustrating one of eight dimensions of circularity: waste management, energy, water, food and beverages, packaging, infrastructure management, consumables, and transport and suppliers. The study adopts a qualitative and exploratory approach. The examples were selected to demonstrate the diversity of CE applications in tourism, ensuring that they reflected distinct domains of intervention. Preference was also given to cases awarded certifications or prizes in the field of sustainability, as indicators of impact, credibility, and relevance. The findings show that CE practices are already being implemented in Portugal’s tourism sector through innovative and efficient strategies. The examples analysed include zero-waste kitchens, textile upcycling, closed-loop water systems, and locally sourced food supply chains. These initiatives demonstrate not only the feasibility of CE in tourism but also its multiple benefits, such as resource efficiency, community engagement, and enhanced brand recognition. For such practices to become more widespread, supportive policy frameworks and cross-sectoral collaboration are required. Future research should incorporate stakeholder interviews in order to provide a more holistic understanding of CE practices in tourism.