Exploratory methodology for sustainability assessment in tourist destination planning

Abstract

Objective: The study aims to identify effective planning tools for sustainable tourism destination development, creating a framework that helps planners produce robust, sustainable plans aligned with international standards. This framework bridges the gap between sustainability management and planning, ensuring that tourism plans truly reflect their sustainability goals through actionable content. Theoretical Framework: The study draws on established sustainability certifications like Biosphere, Green Destinations, and toolkits such as the European Tourism Indicators for Sustainability (ETIS). The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria (2013) serves as the core benchmark for evaluating tourism plans. Method: The theoretical approach involved three steps: (1) Confirming the initial hypothesis through literature review, revealing the lack of a formal methodology for sustainable tourism planning. (2) Selecting the GSTC Criteria as the most suitable global system due to their alignment with the SDGs, broad applicability, and credibility. (3) Adapting GSTC management indicators into planning monitoring indicators for effective evaluation. Results and Discussion: The study highlights the absence of clear guidelines for creating actionable sustainable tourism plans. The proposed framework provides tools for destinations to assess the true sustainability of their plans, with a call for further research to validate the framework in different contexts. Research Implications: The study offers two practical applications: 1. Verifying the sustainability of tourism planning documents, and 2. Guiding the creation of plans to ensure sustainability, avoiding shifting these concerns to management. Originality/Value: This study fills a critical gap in sustainable tourism planning by providing a methodology that ensures planning documents meet sustainability standards, offering a fresh contribution to the field.