What will tourism look like in the 2030s?

 Publication Annoucement 10 April 2026 

INTRODUCTION TO SUSTAINABLE NARRATIVES AND TECHNOLOGIES IN TOURISM

What will tourism look like in the 2030s? 

Tourism destination development will take sustainability as a given. Social media and emerging technologies will be integrated into the stories of co- created visitor experience. This book for tourism, hospitality, and heritage management explores these converging areas in a way that will inform your own studies and research.

Local communities and local inhabitants are at the heart of every tourism story as sustainable tourism development is fundamentally dependent on the active participation and endorsement of local communities. The locals are the best protectors of the sociocultural and ecological resources upon which the tourism offer is developed. Their inclusion is not merely an ethical imperative but a valuable necessity. True sustainability can only be achieved when the interests, knowledge and well-being of local populations are systematically heard, observed, and integrated into all stages of planning, development, and management. When local stakeholders are engaged as active participants rather than passive subjects, they are more interested to support conservation efforts, help preserve authentic cultural heritage, and ensure that economic benefits are equitably distributed, thereby promoting and protecting long- term resilience. On the contrary, the exclusion of local communities and stakeholders often leads to resentment, resource degradation, and the erosion of social license for tourism operations, ultimately undermining the essential pillars of sustainability. 

The following group of international research scholars and university lecturers has collaborated with their local communities to write this textbook for students and lecturers in universities across the globe. The chapters present research studies that you can draw on in building your own picture of tourism as it moves into the next decade. When you start your own research or dissertation project, then you will find that the methods can be readily replicated for your tourism destination - 

Samer Fendi Ahmed Ababneh is an Assistant Professor in the Administrative and Financial Sciences Department, where he specialises in tourism, at Ajloun University College, AlBalqa Applied University, Jordan. His research interests include tour guiding, tourism and hotel marketing, heritage, culture, human resources in tourism and hotels, hotel and tourism management, and food and beverage management.

Lama’a Al- Orainat is Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism Management and Assistant Dean for Quality Assurance, Accreditation, and Global Classifications at the University of Jordan. She holds a PhD in Tourism and Hospitality Management from FAU (Germany), a Master’s in Tourism Management from Yarmouk University and in Human Resource development. She has over 23 years of experience in teaching and supervision, including work with the Ministry of Education in Jordan. She has taught extensively in tourism and hospitality and participated in numerous conferences and workshops. Her research interests focus on the fields of tourism and hospitality management, with particular emphasis on digital tourism and the applications of artificial intelligence in managing tourism sites, hotels, and events. She is also interested in human resource management in the hospitality sector and the governance of heritage sites, contributing to the development and sustainability of the tourism industry.

Anke Arts, MBA, is research leader, based at ETFI. Her interest and expertise focus on slow food & agritourism, local food and food transition, governance and strategic planning. She is also codirector for the Centre of Expertise for Leisure Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH): the Centre of Expertise helps the sector and destinations with knowledge for innovation and sustainable development, via co-creation of projects with different Universities of Applied Sciences in collaboration with the sector organisations.

Farouk Attaalla holds a professorial academic rank in Tourism Studies at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Fayoum University, Egypt. Since 2000, he has taught on the BSc and PG degrees in Ecotourism Guidance in the faculty. He is also a lecturer for the Transport Diploma in Nile Basin States Program, Institute for Nile States Strategic Studies, Fayoum University, Egypt. He is an editorial reviewer for international tourism and hospitality journals; a reviewer for the promotion of assistant professors and professors in tourism and hospitality in Egyptian and Arabic universities; and an external reviewer for Tourism Studies departments in Egyptian universities that seek accreditation from the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation. His research interests include: airports and airline business, travel agents, sustainable tourism development, and cultural dialogue.

Ali Eren Balıkel is an Assistant Professor at İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi in the Department of International Business and Trade, İstanbul, Türkiye. He studied Business Administration at the London School of Commerce (LSC) through a program affiliated with the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC). Following his undergraduate studies, he completed an MBA at the University of Gloucestershire, where his thesis on branding and entrepreneurship earned a special award. Continuing his academic journey, he obtained a master’s degree in politics from Queen Mary University of London and earned a PhD from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He is the author of two books: Turkish Foreign Policy from Past to Present in a Theoretical Framework, which has been translated into eight languages, and A Sustainable World is Possible.

Mehmet Emin Baynazoğlu, PhD in Business Management, is an Assistant Professor at Trakya University, Keşan Yusuf Çapraz College of Applied Sciences in the Department of Management Information Systems. Before his academic career, he worked in international five- star hotel chains, including Accor and Marriott. From 2019 to 2020, he also served as the Multi- Property Training Coordinator for two Renaissance Hotels in Istanbul. His research focuses on tourism and hospitality management, with a particular emphasis on sustainable tourism. As the Faculty Erasmus Coordinator, he actively promotes international academic collaboration and has organised International Weeks at Trakya University. He has participated in over 20 Erasmus+ teaching mobilities, International Weeks, and Blended Intensive Programmes. Since 2023, he has been teaching the Intercultural Communication Course at the Summer School for Scholars at the Université Savoie Mont Blanc in Chambéry, France.

Gregory Borne is a Course Leader for the International Business Management MSc at Falmouth University, Cornwall, UK. He has over 20 years’ experience in research, teaching and implementing multiple dimensions of sustainable development. He works with international organisations such as the United Nations as well as organisations in business, government, education, and the third sector. He has published four books on different components of sustainability and currently exploring the opportunities and barriers for the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals within local communities.

Dababrata Chowdhury is a Reader in Digital Entrepreneurship in the Business School at Canterbury Christ Church University and Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Management at Ravensbourne University, London. He specialises in Digital Technology, Knowledge Management, and Marketing. He graduated in Computer Science and Engineering (BSc) from Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey and then completed an MBA and PhD at the University of Plymouth, UK. Prior to joining Canterbury, he was an Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Marketing in the business school at the University of Suffolk. He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He has worked in higher education for over 20 years. His skills include technology, innovation, creativity, and improving student employability and entrepreneurial development and Knowledge Management. Having extensive knowledge of higher education, he has built strategic partnerships with stakeholders and communities across the globe.

Amandeep Kaur is an Assistant Professor and researcher in Computer Science and Machine Learning, currently pursuing her PhD in Computer Science at Gujarat University. She holds an MTech in Computer Science from Maharshi Dayanand University and a BE from Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET). Her work focuses on artificial intelligence, data analytics, and innovative computing solutions, reflecting her passion for bridging theory with practical application and nurturing future- ready minds in technology and innovation.

Wondemsew Mesafint Kebadie is a faculty member at Samara University, Ethiopia, in the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. He holds a master’s degree in Tourism Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management, both from Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. His research interests focus on tourism development, hospitality service management, technology in tourism, and community- based tourism in emerging destinations. He has published articles related to Hospitality Investment in the Afar Region, Ethiopia. He is also engaged in applied research addressing the practical challenges of the Afar Region’s tourism and hospitality sector.

Anshul Nicholas Lewis is a master’s postgraduate specialising in Tourism Destinations and Experiences at the University of Maribor, specialising in sustainable and innovative tourism practices. He was recognised as the best student in the first year of his master’s programme. He has served as a student tutor for international students at the Faculty of Tourism, University of Maribor, where he guided students, hosted extra classes, and helped set up events. Through 2025, he is completing his master’s thesis that investigates the possibility of introducing a digital platform set to empower rural communities through sustainable tourism.

Charles Mansfield is an independent academic, teaching in universities since 1995. He is a freelance researcher and writer, regularly running summer schools for literary travel writers and destination managers. He completed a major, funded research project for the CNRS with the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in digital heritage management and was a research academic with the University of Edinburgh from January 2005 until July 2009 where he successfully completed an AHRC- funded research project to digitise mediaeval literary texts. He is the co- author of Travel Writing for Tourism and City Branding: Urban Place Writing Methodologies, published with Routledge, Taylor & Francis. His PhD, published in 2015 as Researching Literary Tourism, proposes the concept of the toureme.

Yassine Mountije is a PhD candidate in Tourism at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve (Portugal) and also a Member of the Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well- being (CinTurs). He obtained his MSc with Distinction in Tourism and Hospitality Management from Rabat Business School of the International University of Rabat (Morocco). Before his MSc, he received a BSc in Tourism Marketing from Polydisciplinary University of Larache (Morocco). Broadly, his research focuses on the adoption of new technologies in the tourism and hospitality sector. He is interested in smart tourism, hospitality management, marketing, and customer behaviour.

Sara Cerqueira Pascoal is an Associate Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (ISCAP- P.Porto), Portugal, teaching since 1997, in Rhetoric, Semiotics, Communication Theory and French Culture for Business. She has an undergraduate degree in Modern Languages and Literatures, a master’s degree in Portuguese Culture, and a PhD in Romanic Literatures and Cultures. She is a researcher and member of the Scientific Board of the Centre for Intercultural Studies of ISCAP, Porto Polytechnic and an Integrated Researcher of CLLC, Centre for Languages, Literatures and Cultures of the University of Aveiro. She is a member of the Scientific Committee of Lit&Tour – International Journal on Literature and Tourism. Her research interests range from Literary Tourism, Geocriticism, Rhetoric, Semiotics, Intercultural Communication, and Portuguese Culture.

Nisarg Patel is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Professional Courses, Gujarat University, with an academic foundation in Mathematics. He holds a BSc and MSc in Mathematics from Gujarat University and is currently pursuing his PhD in Mathematics at Nirma University, Ahmedabad. His research interests lie in applied mathematics, mathematical modelling, and computational analysis. Dedicated to academic excellence, he strives to advance mathematical education and inspire future scholars to explore the power and beauty of mathematics.

Jasna Potočnik Topler has been teaching at the University of Maribor, Slovenia since 2014. She completed her studies in English language and literature and in Journalism and obtained her PhD at the Ljubljana University. In July 2025, she was promoted to Full Professor. Her field of research includes cultural tourism with its subtypes, languages, literary tourism, media discourse, and communication. She is the author of monographs, scientific articles, conference lectures, and an editorial board member of many journals. She has been engaged in many projects with the local community, industry stakeholders, EU partners, and students.

Ranea Mohammed Qaddhat was awarded her PhD in Tourism Studies from the Fayoum University in Egypt and has been teaching in the department of Tourism Management at the University of Jordan, Aqaba campus since 2011. Field study and research interests include site management, visitor experience, visitor satisfaction, visitor loyalty, heritage, and archaeological sites with particular emphasis on the hospitality industry. She has published in many journals, including the International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Systems, the International Business Information Management Association, the Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Sports, and the Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Ousanee Sawagvudcharee is an Assistant Professor of business administration, a researcher, and a lecturer specialising in tourism, marketing, hospitality, information systems, business administration, and management science. She recently completed a KMITL- funded research project with the title ‘Development of sustainable destination identity for intangible cultural heritage: A comparison between China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Australia’. Her work also focuses on issues like branding and marketing management, hotel and tourist management, organisational behaviour, cultural tourism, sustainable innovation, management information systems, and organisational change. She is also the author of E- Commerce: A New Way of Global Commerce Metamorphosis.

Senka Šekularac-Ivošević is an Associate Professor at the University of Montenegro with over two decades of academic and research experience in maritime marketing, management, and human resource management. Her work focuses on sustainability, competitiveness, and digital transformation within the maritime and tourism sectors. She has participated in international projects on sustainable destination management in the Adriatic region and has contributed scholarly publications addressing policy frameworks for sustainable nautical tourism. She shares her research through lectures, workshops, and conferences across Europe, the United States, Japan, and India, fostering academic exchange and the advancement of maritime science. She currently serves as Vice Dean for International Cooperation and Head of the Department of Maritime Management and Logistics at the Faculty of Maritime Studies, Kotor and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Časopis Pomorskog fakulteta Kotor Journal of Maritime Sciences.

Natalie Semley is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Tourism Management at Falmouth University, UK. Her scholarly work primarily focuses on the delivery of effective destination management and the application of regenerative tourism within the UK. Her research is diverse, pertaining to the key concerns of destination managers. Most recently, she has undertaken consultancy research to establish visitors’ perception of sustainable tourism, led knowledge exchange projects to determine the impact of technology on destination-based storytelling, and solidified her long-term cross-sectoral partnerships through a range of academic and action research projects. It is through these industry engagements that Natalie continues to deliver value for practitioners and academics at the destination level.

Kushal Singh, serving as Head and Assistant Professor of Tourism Administration at Tripura University, an official Central University in Tripura, India, is an academic and researcher in Tourism Management. He holds a BCom and Master’s in Tourism Management from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, along with a PhD from Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, India’s first rural university. His scholarly journey includes 27 research papers in reputed journals, over 35 presentations at national and international conferences, and contributions to more than 25 books and book chapters. With three patents to his credit and the successful mentorship of six PhD scholars, he continues to advance knowledge and innovation in the field of tourism.

Anja Skapin Subanović works at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), where she is engaged in the field of science communication. She is the editor- in- chief of Alternator, an online professional journal dedicated to science, publishing first- hand research studies and reflections by combining methodological soundness with narrative authenticity. She co- edited the volume The Ecosystem of Science Communication in the Post- Truth Era: Perspectives, Contexts, Dynamics (2024). In her academic work, she has focused on intercultural literary history and the dynamic identity of literature. With a recent research interest in cultural tourism, she devotes her free time to literary and cultural history, memory studies, and the exploration of contemporary history through personal and collective narratives.

Mark Stothard is a professional and research photographer. He successfully completed his MA in photography during a writers’ and artists’ residency in Plymouth, UK and is currently working on a major project to develop narrative photography methods in the Scottish Highlands. He is an educator and runs workshops, most recently on Lundy Island, off the coast of North Devon and in the ports of Normandy, France.

Swati Solanki is an Assistant Professor of Computer Engineering with an academic and research background in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and deep learning. She holds a Master of Engineering in Computing and has extensive teaching experience, combining theoretical instruction with practical, industry- aligned training. Her research focuses on intelligent systems and personalised product recommendations using deep learning, with published work in peer- reviewed journals. Swati is passionate about fostering innovation in education and actively contributes to curriculum enhancement and faculty development initiatives.

Laura Tallone is an Associate Professor at Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP- P.PORTO), lecturing in MA programmes in Intercultural Studies for Business (MISB) and Specialised Translation and Interpreting (MTIE). She is a member of the Direction Board of MTIE; a coordinator of the Spanish sub- department at ISCAP- P.PORTO; a researcher at CEI and CEOS research centres, with publications on translation teaching, as well as on dark tourism, museum studies, and heritage studies; an editor of the volumes Do signo ao texto: Contributos Pedagógicos para a Tradução Técnica em Quatro Línguas (De Facto Editores, 2016), Do texto ao Contexto: Novos Contributos Pedagógicos para a Tradução Técnica em Quatro Línguas (CEI [e- book], 2020), and co- editor of Dark Heritage Tourism in the Iberian Peninsula (2023).

Andreas Walmsley is Head of Marjon Doctoral College, Plymouth, UK and Editor (Research) for the US Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship-affiliated journal Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy. His main publications are in the areas of entrepreneurship and tourism employment. His latest book is an updated second edition of Entrepreneurship in Tourism, published by Routledge. Andreas enjoys international collaboration and has co-authored and edited a number of books with colleagues around the world, with recent books focusing on migrant entrepreneurship and female immigrant entrepreneurship. He is a visiting scholar at Neapolis University, Cyprus and Anahuac University, Mexico.

Ben Wielenga, MSc, is a cultural geographer based at the European Tourism Futures Institute, affiliated with NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. His primary research interest focuses on the interaction between nature and tourism. In addition to his role as a researcher for ETFI, he works as a lecturer and coordinator in the educational programme of International Tourism Management at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

Please Click to Preview Instructor Resources on YouTube