Tourism sustainability and local governance challenges in a protected mountain area
Tourism sustainability and local governance challenges in a protected mountain area

Summary/Abstract: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, protected areas in mountain regionshave become increasingly popular tourist destinations. However, mountains are considered fragile in terms of natural and cultural heritage, so a balanced use of resources is needed to develop tourism with long-term benefits forthe local communities. Through multi-stage research, the present study investigates the perspective of accommodation providers on sustainable tourism in the Serras D’Aire and Candeeiros Natural Park (PNSAC), Portugal. Data reporte don Booking.com was considered, in terms of tourism operators’ commitmentto predefined sustainability practices. Then, the tourist accommodations wereanalysed by proposing a ranking through an integrative approach. Additionally, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain better understanding on the journey of accommodation providers towards sustainable tourism, in relation with the PNSAC administration. The results emphasised that only 33.3% of accommodation providers claimed sustainability practices, with 40% categorised as ‘inadequate’ in the rankings, as they implement only a few measures. Given the identified weak interaction between tourism providers and the PNSAC authority, there is a need for collaboration to promote sustainable tourism, preserve natural resources, and support regional development.

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