IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i18p7758-d416125.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Can Rural Tourism Be Sustainable? A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Wookhyun An

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Statistics and Business Management, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Silverio Alarcón

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Statistics and Business Management, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

This investigation reviewed articles associated with sustainable rural tourism found on the Web of Science database over a 10-year span from 2009 to 2019. The 76 articles that were selected for their inclusion of the concept of sustainable rural tourism were listed in a comprehensive table, thereby revealing the research purpose, topics, detailed topics, research methods, and data source of the articles. The findings indicate that many papers on sustainable rural tourism were written from a holistic sustainability perspective without being biased towards any one of the environmental, economic, and social aspects. In the field of rural tourism, it is essential to pay attention to interactions in all aspects of the environment, economy, and society, and to analyze them overall. In addition, this study confirmed that efforts to understand sustainable rural tourism from the customer perspective have been increased since customer loyalty is considered important for sustainability. This study is significant in that, since it evaluated the knowledge status for the first time through systematic review and applied content analysis to academic literature related to sustainability in the sector of rural tourism, it can expand and deepen the knowledge and understanding of related topics and raise awareness of a new research direction.

Suggested Citation

  • Wookhyun An & Silverio Alarcón, 2020. "How Can Rural Tourism Be Sustainable? A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-23, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:18:p:7758-:d:416125
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/18/7758/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/18/7758/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jing Guan & Jun Gao & Chaozhi Zhang, 2019. "Food Heritagization and Sustainable Rural Tourism Destination: The Case of China’s Yuanjia Village," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-15, May.
    2. Sanagustín Fons, M. Victoria & Fierro, José A. Moseñe & Patiño, María Gómez y, 2011. "Rural tourism: A sustainable alternative," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 551-557, February.
    3. Resmiye Alpar Atun & Hassina Nafa & Özlem Olgaç Türker, 2019. "Envisaging sustainable rural development through ‘context-dependent tourism’: case of northern Cyprus," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1715-1744, August.
    4. Carla M. Schmidt & Ivanete D. Cielo & Keila R. Wenningkamp & Marialva Tomio, 2016. "Collective Actions in Sustainable Rural Tourism: A Case Study of the Western Region of Paraná," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 249-258, March.
    5. Paola M. Leanza & Simona M. C. Porto & Vincenzo Sapienza & Santi M. Cascone, 2016. "A Heritage Interpretation-Based Itinerary to Enhance Tourist Use of Traditional Rural Buildings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-19, January.
    6. Mulet-Forteza, Carles & Genovart-Balaguer, Juanabel & Mauleon-Mendez, Emilio & Merigó, José M., 2019. "A bibliometric research in the tourism, leisure and hospitality fields," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 819-827.
    7. Reed, Mark S. & Fraser, Evan D.G. & Dougill, Andrew J., 2006. "An adaptive learning process for developing and applying sustainability indicators with local communities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(4), pages 406-418, October.
    8. Alice Wanner & Ulrike Pröbstl-Haider, 2019. "Barriers to Stakeholder Involvement in Sustainable Rural Tourism Development—Experiences from Southeast Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-16, June.
    9. Thomas Dax & Dachang Zhang & Yanying Chen, 2019. "Agritourism Initiatives in the Context of Continuous Out-Migration: Comparative Perspectives for the Alps and Chinese Mountain Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-18, August.
    10. Gina Ionela Butnaru & Alina Petronela Haller, 2017. "Perspective of Sustainable Rural Tourism in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK): Comparative Study of β and σ Convergence in the Economic Development Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-22, March.
    11. Hashemi, Niloofar & Ghaffary, Gholamreza, 2017. "A Proposed Sustainable Rural Development Index (SRDI): Lessons from Hajij village, Iran," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 130-138.
    12. He Zhu & Jiaming Liu & Zongcai Wei & Weiheng Li & Lei Wang, 2017. "Residents’ Attitudes towards Sustainable Tourism Development in a Historical-Cultural Village: Influence of Perceived Impacts, Sense of Place and Tourism Development Potential," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, January.
    13. Robert W. Palmatier & Mark B. Houston & John Hulland, 2018. "Review articles: purpose, process, and structure," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 1-5, January.
    14. Alexander Trukhachev, 2015. "Methodology for Evaluating the Rural Tourism Potentials: A Tool to Ensure Sustainable Development of Rural Settlements," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-19, March.
    15. Guaita Martínez, José Manuel & Martín Martín, José María & Salinas Fernández, Jose Antonio & Mogorrón-Guerrero, Helena, 2019. "An analysis of the stability of rural tourism as a desired condition for sustainable tourism," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 165-174.
    16. Yi Guo & Jinbo Jiang & Shengchao Li, 2019. "A Sustainable Tourism Policy Research Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-16, June.
    17. Bixia Chen & Zhenmian Qiu & Nisikawa Usio & Koji Nakamura, 2018. "Tourism’s Impacts on Rural Livelihood in the Sustainability of an Aging Community in Japan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, August.
    18. Nees Jan Eck & Ludo Waltman, 2010. "Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 84(2), pages 523-538, August.
    19. Mark B. Houston, 2019. "Four facets of rigor," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 570-573, July.
    20. Ming-Lang Tseng & Chia-Hao Chang & Kuo-Jui Wu & Chun-Wei Remen Lin & Bhuripan Kalnaovkul & Raymond R. Tan, 2019. "Sustainable Agritourism in Thailand: Modeling Business Performance and Environmental Sustainability under Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-20, July.
    21. Zhen Su & Joshua R. Aaron & Yang Guan & Hongchen Wang, 2019. "Sustainable Livelihood Capital and Strategy in Rural Tourism Households: A Seasonality Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-14, September.
    22. Jue Chen & Jingjing Guan & Jing Xu & Cecile Clergeau, 2018. "Constructing the green supply chain for rural tourism in China," Post-Print hal-03714363, HAL.
    23. John Hulland & Mark B. Houston, 2020. "Why systematic review papers and meta-analyses matter: an introduction to the special issue on generalizations in marketing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 351-359, May.
    24. Nguyen Thanh Long & Thanh-Lam Nguyen, 2018. "Sustainable Development of Rural Tourism in An Giang Province, Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-20, March.
    25. Carmen Echebarria & Jose M. Barrutia & Ainhize Eletxigerra & Patrick Hartmann & Vanessa Apaolaza, 2018. "Local sustainability processes worldwide: a systematic review of the literature and research agenda," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(8), pages 1289-1317, July.
    26. Yuichiro Tani & Shizuka Hashimoto & Mototsugu Ochiai, 2016. "What makes rural, traditional, cultures more sustainable? Implications from conservation efforts in mountainous rural communities of Japan," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(8), pages 892-905, November.
    27. Chunliu Gao & Li Cheng & Javed Iqbal & Deqiang Cheng, 2019. "An Integrated Rural Development Mode Based on a Tourism-Oriented Approach: Exploring the Beautiful Village Project in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-17, July.
    28. Gao, Jing & Wu, Bihu, 2017. "Revitalizing traditional villages through rural tourism: A case study of Yuanjia Village, Shaanxi Province, China," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 223-233.
    29. Chiara Garau, 2015. "Perspectives on Cultural and Sustainable Rural Tourism in a Smart Region: The Case Study of Marmilla in Sardinia (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-23, May.
    30. Wee-Kheng Tan & Wei-Cheng Liu & Yu-Ning Hu, 2013. "Finding the crucial factors for sustainable development of rural-based tourist destinations: using Nanzhuang, Taiwan as a case study," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 7(4), pages 623-640, December.
    31. Bogdan-Constantin Ibănescu & Oana Mihaela Stoleriu & Alina Munteanu & Corneliu Iațu, 2018. "The Impact of Tourism on Sustainable Development of Rural Areas: Evidence from Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-19, October.
    32. Jue Chen & Jingjing Guan & Jing (Bill) Xu & Cecile Clergeau, 2018. "Constructing the Green Supply Chain for Rural Tourism in China: Perspective of Front–Back Stage Decoupling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    33. Randelli, Filippo & Martellozzo, Federico, 2019. "Is rural tourism-induced built-up growth a threat for the sustainability of rural areas? The case study of Tuscany," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 387-398.
    34. Cucari, Nicola & Wankowicz, Ewa & Esposito De Falco, Salvatore, 2019. "Rural tourism and Albergo Diffuso: A case study for sustainable land-use planning," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 105-119.
    35. Zoltán Lakner & Anna Kiss & Ivan Merlet & Judit Oláh & Domicián Máté & Janusz Grabara & József Popp, 2018. "Building Coalitions for a Diversified and Sustainable Tourism: Two Case Studies from Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-23, April.
    36. Leanard Otwori Juma & Aniko Khademi-Vidra, 2019. "Community-Based Tourism and Sustainable Development of Rural Regions in Kenya; Perceptions of the Citizenry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-23, August.
    37. Iulia C. Muresan & Camelia F. Oroian & Rezhen Harun & Felix H. Arion & Andra Porutiu & Gabriela O. Chiciudean & Alexandru Todea & Ramona Lile, 2016. "Local Residents’ Attitude toward Sustainable Rural Tourism Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sofia Karampela & Alexis Andreopoulos & Alex Koutsouris, 2021. "“Agro”, “Agri”, or “Rural”: The Different Viewpoints of Tourism Research Combined with Sustainability and Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Alieh Abadi & Mehdi Khakzand, 2022. "Extracting the qualitative dimensions of agritourism for the sustainable development of Charqoli village in Iran: the promotion of vernacular entrepreneurship and environment-oriented preservation per," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12609-12671, November.
    3. Yugang He & Xiaodan Gao & Renhong Wu & Yinhui Wang & Baek-Ryul Choi, 2021. "How Does Sustainable Rural Tourism Cause Rural Community Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-20, December.
    4. Setiawan Priatmoko & Moaaz Kabil & Ali Akaak & Zoltán Lakner & Csaba Gyuricza & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2023. "Understanding the Complexity of Rural Tourism Business: Scholarly Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-21, January.
    5. He, Jun & Huang, Zilong & Mishra, Arunodaya Raj & Alrasheedi, Melfi, 2021. "Developing a new framework for conceptualizing the emerging sustainable community-based tourism using an extended interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy SWARA-MULTIMOORA," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    6. Resmiye Alpar Atun & Hassina Nafa & Özlem Olgaç Türker, 2019. "Envisaging sustainable rural development through ‘context-dependent tourism’: case of northern Cyprus," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1715-1744, August.
    7. John Hulland, 2020. "Conceptual review papers: revisiting existing research to develop and refine theory," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 10(1), pages 27-35, June.
    8. Chenmei Liao & Yifan Zuo & Rob Law & Yingying Wang & Mu Zhang, 2022. "Spatial Differentiation, Influencing Factors, and Development Paths of Rural Tourism Resources in Guangdong Province," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-18, November.
    9. Andreea M. Crăciun & Ștefan Dezsi & Florin Pop & Pintea Cecilia, 2022. "Rural Tourism—Viable Alternatives for Preserving Local Specificity and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development: Case Study—“Valley of the Kings” (Gurghiului Valley, Mureș County, Romania)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-31, December.
    10. Francisco Javier Castellano-Álvarez & María de la Cruz del Río-Rama & José Álvarez-García & Amador Durán-Sánchez, 2019. "Limitations of Rural Tourism as an Economic Diversification and Regional Development Instrument. The Case Study of the Region of La Vera," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-19, June.
    11. Adis Puška & Dragan Pamucar & Ilija Stojanović & Fausto Cavallaro & Arturas Kaklauskas & Abbas Mardani, 2021. "Examination of the Sustainable Rural Tourism Potential of the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina Using a Fuzzy Approach Based on Group Decision Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-23, January.
    12. Chatterjee, Lagnajita & Feng, Cong & Nakata, Cheryl & Sivakumar, K., 2023. "The environmental turbulence concept in marketing: A look back and a look ahead," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    13. M. Isabel Diéguez-Castrillón & Ana Gueimonde-Canto & Nuria Rodríguez-López, 2022. "Sustainability indicators for tourism destinations: bibliometric analysis and proposed research agenda," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(10), pages 11548-11575, October.
    14. Xiaoming (Rose) Liu & Jun (Justin) Li, 2018. "Host Perceptions of Tourism Impact and Stage of Destination Development in a Developing Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-15, July.
    15. Ksenija Leković & Slavica Tomić & Dražen Marić & Nikola V. Ćurčić, 2020. "Cognitive Component of the Image of a Rural Tourism Destination as a Sustainable Development Potential," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-12, November.
    16. Keke Sun & Zeyu Xing & Xia Cao & Weijia Li, 2021. "The Regime of Rural Ecotourism Stakeholders in Poverty-Stricken Areas of China: Implications for Rural Revitalization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-28, September.
    17. Nafiah Ariyani & Akhmad Fauzi, 2023. "Pathways toward the Transformation of Sustainable Rural Tourism Management in Central Java, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-19, February.
    18. Han-Shen Chen, 2020. "The Construction and Validation of a Sustainable Tourism Development Evaluation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-20, October.
    19. Milena Nedeljković Knežević & Marko D. Petrović & Slađana Nedeljković & Maja Mijatov & Milan M. Radovanović & Mirjana Gajić & Miroslav Škoda, 2019. "Changes in Traditional Activities of Industrial Area toward Sustainable Tourism Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-16, November.
    20. Setiawan Priatmoko & Moaaz Kabil & Yitno Purwoko & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2021. "Rethinking Sustainable Community-Based Tourism: A Villager’s Point of View and Case Study in Pampang Village, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-15, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:18:p:7758-:d:416125. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.