João Romão (p)

Janeth González Rubio

This paper explores the limitations of market-regulated tourism models in achieving sustainable and regenerative outcomes, arguing that individual utility-based economic models are incompatible with long-term social and environmental goals that protect residents’s quality of life and respect the carrying capacity of each place.

It draws from the conclusions of different analysis focused on torus-related sensitive problems: transport, mobility and climate change; tourism impacts on common resources; and transition from sustainable to regenerative approaches in tourism management. This contribution highlights how these three aspects intersect to justify the need for systemic reforms in tourism governance.

The study employs a comparative theoretical analysis, integrating literature reviews and case-based insights. It synthesizes findings from transport and CPR management studies and examines their implications for sustainable and regenerative tourism models. Data sources include policy documents, case studies, and secondary data from industry reports and academic publications.

The analysis identifies three key insights:
Tourism mobility and climate challenges: sustainable tourism mobility requires overcoming the limits of traditional transport models through adaptive planning, digital technologies, and multi-modal systems. Voluntary regulatory approaches and market-based mechanisms such as carbon trading are clearly insufficient to mitigate tourism-related CO₂ emissions;
Commons management and governance: overuse of common resources stems from market failures and governance gaps. Participatory governance is normally justified in order to promote community quality of life but it faces power imbalances and institutional barriers without stronger public intervention.
Limits of market-based sustainability: regenerative tourism principles - or other approaches with similar objectives, like degrowth or participatory planning - cannot be realized under economic models driven by individual utility maximization that do not take into account the carrying capacity of the places. Instead, coordinated, multi-level public policies and regulation-oriented frameworks are required to take into consideration the cumulative impacts of individual decisions or the diversity of motivations and interests within the communities.

This contribution calls for a paradigm shift in tourism governance, advocating for a transition from market-centric approaches to policy-driven, participatory, and multi-level strategies that integrate environmental, social, and economic goals. By positioning tourism as a vector for mutual understanding and collective well-being, it argues that the path to sustainability and regeneration requires not only innovative practices but also systemic reforms in economic governance.

Janeth González Rubio (p), Alexander Blandon Lopez (p), Yurany Alejandra Orozco Tellez

Nansy Kouroupi

The World Tourism Organization (WTO, 2002) defines Nature Tourism as "all types of nature-based tourism, in which the main motivation is the observation and appreciation of nature, as well as traditional cultures”. The city of Ibague in Colombia is characterized by its tourist vocation focused on Nature Tourism. Within the nature tourism products, ecotourism, and adventure activities such as hiking, horseback riding, bird watching, climbing, and mountaineering can be found in the city. In addition, Ibague is known as the musical city of Colombia and has great gastronomy and folklore which are present in its nature tourism corridors.
The main objective of this study is to determine the impact of tourism management on the competitiveness of companies that offer nature tourism in the city of Ibague. The analytical framework is taken under a destination management approach, which was adapted for the present study. This incorporates categories proposed by (Ritchie & Crouch, 2003), (Daengbuppha & Nonsiri, 2014) and (Hassan, 2000), mainly, on the processes necessary for decision-making to improve the competitiveness of the destination, the quality and effectiveness of the supporting factors and resources. The methodological design includes a quantitative approach study. A stratified sampling by fixed proportions was carried out for the population under study,137 nature tourism service providers. A total sample size of 81 was defined. The variables that correspond to the factors of destination management established in the model of (Ritchie & Crouch, 1999) are taken, which are: resource management and organization; marketing; information systems and service, which in the case of Tolima have not been academically reviewed for the tourism sector.
The results of the study are: first, identification of the companies that offer nature tourism services in the city of Ibague, their marketing and promotion channels. Second, evaluation of the levels of competitiveness and factors of tourism management in companies dedicated to nature tourism in the city of Ibague. 3. Strategies oriented to promote the competitiveness of the companies dedicated to nature tourism in the city of Ibague. By and large it was found that tourist management by tourism providers in the city of Ibague has a direct impact on the business competitiveness of the destination. In fact, the importance of tourism promotion and the development of tourism products highlights the need to jointly strengthen actions to make the city visible through marketing and digital commercialization as a tourist destination in the national and international spheres.

Nansy Kouroupi (p), Theodore Metaxas, Dimitrios Diamantis

Alex Deffner

This paper explores how metaverse-based experiences can strengthen creative tourism’s role in promoting sustainability, enhancing regional resilience, and fostering inclusive local development. Creative tourism focuses on participatory, culturally rich activities that encourage deeper engagement between visitors and host communities. Meanwhile, metaverse technologies (including virtual and augmented reality) offer immersive interactions and multi-user connectivity. When merged, these approaches have the potential to diversify tourism products, support small-scale entrepreneurship, and protect cultural assets, thus enabling destinations to adapt more readily to global disruptions.
Building on this premise, the study addresses the overarching question: In what ways can immersive digital experiences, grounded in local culture and collaborative stakeholder engagement, reinforce the sustainability and resilience of creative tourism while offering inclusive economic opportunities in an era of rapid technological change?
The paper reviews key theoretical and empirical works that showcase how cultural traditions, artisanal practices, and community values can be safeguarded and amplified through metaverse tools. It examines case studies from multiple regions, assesses governance models, notes the balance between authenticity and commercialization, and uncovers the evolving ethical considerations. The review draws on major academic databases (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science), policy documents from international bodies like the OECD, and pivotal studies on creative tourism.
The research design follows a structured literature review methodology, systematically identifying, screening, and synthesizing relevant studies. Following standard quality assessment protocols, articles were chosen if they offered insights into the intersection of creative tourism, immersive technology, stakeholder participation, and sustainability outcomes. The final corpus covers various cultural contexts and technological approaches, allowing for a thematic analysis that highlights recurring patterns such as immersive storytelling, community co-creation, cultural preservation, and adaptive revenue strategies.
The outcomes suggest that metaverse-based creative tourism can open new revenue streams for local communities, enrich visitor experiences, and fortify cultural identity. However, the incorporation of immersive platforms also raises concerns about data privacy, cultural misrepresentation, and unequal technological access. To address these challenges require inclusive governance, robust ethical frameworks, and the active participation of all stakeholders and community members.
As an overall, the paper’s findings underscore the importance of aligning digital innovation with local cultural values to achieve sustainable and resilient tourism models. Recommendations for future research include more extensive longitudinal studies, comparative multi-site evaluations, and policy guidelines that ensure equitable benefits and responsible resource use in metaverse-driven creative tourism initiatives.

Alex Deffner (p)

João Romão

The transfer of existing ideas is an attribute of periods of crisis when there is a greater necessity for hope for a better future, which should be based on a type of certainty rooted in the past. However, this transfer generally has a double dimension: it could either imply the timelessness of 'classic' ideas or the lack of new ideas. The central hypothesis to be tested is how knowledge transfer is connected reciprocally to the creative implementation of eclecticism in urban planning.
Apart from the various fields and the more well-known, usually 'grand', theories (systems theory, postmodernism, chaos/ complexity theory) that have influenced urban planning, a few new 'tendencies' focus mainly on an individual meta-analysis of existing theories. This paper will analyse three tendencies connected to urban planning:
1. The impact of the broader field of pop studies
2. The willingness to incorporate art forms (music)
3. The necessity to reconnect the divided town and country (mainly through biology)
Since this paper is purely theoretical, the primary method used is the analysis of selected texts.
In the contemporary period of blurring boundaries, among the new things that have emerged in various sciences, of particular interest is a will for accessibility for a more significant number of non-experts to understand the issues. The multidisciplinary field of urban studies has joined this phenomenon of pop studies (Solnit, Minton).
Concerning the significance of music in urban planning, the aim is to investigate how songs represent a city's transition, mainly through urban spaces. A connected aim is how this perspective can contribute to an alternative approach to urban cultural planning going back to the classics (Sitte's 'artistic fundamentals').
Concerning the necessity to reconnect the divided town and country, the aim is to examine the current relationship between biology and urban planning (including contemporary texts mainly belonging to the tendency of 'pop studies') and discover its roots (Geddes, Mumford).