Useful lessons can be drawn from realist evaluation and appreciative inquiry for the evaluation of tourism interventions in complex contexts. We combine the strengths of these two approaches to design a participatory learning-focused evaluation with an emphasis on co-created intervention improvement. We apply this proposed ‘Realist Appreciative Evaluation’ on a government-led intervention aimed at supporting tourism firms to improve their sustainability practices. While realist evaluation introduces causal thinking within a framework of contexts-mechanisms-outcomes, appreciative inquiry enables participants to be solution-oriented. The study shows how evaluation can constitute a constructive, dynamic learning process for participants, rather than something to fear. Our methodology promotes collaboration and real-time change, within the rigorous theory-based realist evaluation approach, to improve the evaluation of tourism interventions.
This study explores the power of the story-based ‘Most Significant Change’ evaluation method to evidence the impacts of a complex sustainable tourism intervention implemented through the cross-border EU-INTERREG ‘EXPERIENCE’ project across six regions on the French-English Channel. The method provides a participatory evaluation framework to capture contextual changes by collecting and analysing personal stories of change considered significant by those directly affected. As intervention-driven changes are often unpredictable and non-linear, the method supports researchers in exploring and learning about unexpected or complex outcomes emerging from the stories. Findings highlight the effectiveness of this narrative approach in capturing complex, unforeseen changes that may not be quantifiable through pre-defined performance indicators. The study contributes to evaluating EU-funded regional development programmes in tourism.
In this study, we combined reflexive monitoring—a critical assessment, evaluation, and practice-adjustment process—with participatory learning through educational games to advance transformative sustainable tourism methodologies. The methodology was tested in a workshop with tourism practitioners in Norway. Using a constructivist lens, we analysed the narratives participants shared via game artefacts, observations, and debriefings. The tourism practitioners demonstrated some signs of enhanced reflexivity, trust, innovation, inclusivity, and equity, which contributed to their collective agency for sustainability. Integrating reflexive monitoring can empower practitioners to critically assess their practices, envision alternatives, navigate sustainability complexities, and drive transformative actions. Although further testing is required, the methodology holds promise for promoting sustainable tourism practices and enhancing practitioners' skills.
Studies of film-induced tourism have demonstrated the effect of film and television productions on tourist attitudes and experiences. However, most of these studies focus on effects without considering the content or reception of film texts. With a view to filling this gap, this study proposes a model based on the analysis of film texts and text reception. The model is tested using the film Zindagi na milegi dobara and its reviews on IMDb. The results of the study confirm the inextricable connections between the representation of tourist attractions, the way viewers interact with the film, and the effects on tourist destination recall.
The large water demands of tourism threaten the sector's economic viability during climate shocks. Cape Town, South Africa provides an example where the threat of a water “Day Zero” in 2018 caused substantial losses in tourist arrivals, revenues, and subsequent job securities. However, Cape Town's tourism industry also contributed to unprecedented water conservation across the city. Through qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with hotel employees in Cape Town (n = 18), this paper reveals how internal conservation campaigns not only reduced water use, but also helped mitigate economic impacts, eased political tensions, and upheld their excellent standing among visitors. Our results suggest that during severe water crises, hotel managers can model and enforce water conservation efforts while maintaining customer satisfaction.
This study proposes a framework to measure touristification of consumption spaces, consisting of concentration of retail capital, business displacement and standardization of the consumption landscape. This framework is tested using business registration data and rent price estimates for consumption spaces in Amsterdam between 2005 and 2020. Touristification emerges from concentrations of retail capital and standardization, but occurs without causing significant business displacement. A cluster analysis identifies different variations of touristification. Besides the more typical cases these include nightlife areas, gentrifying consumption spaces and specialized retail areas. This suggests that local contingencies cause consumption spaces to respond differently to increasing tourism.
This article introduces an expanded Limit of Acceptable Change model, enhancing the traditional approach by incorporating various tourism scenarios and a broader range of indicators. This approach allows to gain a more comprehensive understanding and foresee the effects of diverse tourist profiles and intensities of use in Barcelona. It considers factors like motivation, origin, and accommodation type, and evaluates their effects on key sustainability indicators. The study reveals that significant shifts in tourism patterns are required to impact these indicators noticeably, emphasizing the need to consider both tourist numbers and typologies in sustainable tourism management. This approach equips destination planners with a valuable tool for strategic decision-making and long-term planning.

