Editorial

Citation

(2018), "Editorial", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 10 No. 6, pp. 630-630. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-08-2018-0058

Tourism in 2030: what challenges and opportunities will lead to success?

Welcome to our third annual global trends theme issue, edited by Global Trends Editor, Dr Jorge Costa and his colleagues Mónica Montenegro and João Gomes. To examine and debate a topical strategic question, Jorge, Mónica, João and a team from IPDT – Institute of Tourism, Portugal, convene an annual conference for senior industry stakeholders. Following presentation, discussion and peer review, the outcomes are published each year in WHATT’s Issue Number 6. A unique feature of our global trends theme issue is the high level of participation by practitioners, industry analysts, policymakers and politicians. Our aim is to facilitate shared learning and collaboration between tourism industry sectors, specialists and academia.

I would like to thank the theme editors, Jorge, Mónica and João, Daniela Rodrigues and her colleagues at IPDT – Institute of Tourism, Portugal, and all the participants for compiling a comprehensive and authoritative review of the challenges and opportunities for hospitality and tourism development in the coming decade.

Richard Teare

Managing Editor

Tourism in 2030: What challenges and opportunities will lead to success?

Over the years, tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. However, as any sector that has witnessed major developments and growth, tourism is now under the spotlight in many major world destinations, facing contestation from various groups that blame the sector for affecting authenticity and promoting gentrification.

If it is true that 2017 has been a record year for many world tourism destinations, it is also undeniable that we have never heard so much about overtourism, turistification, tourist saturation or even tourismophobia, with several protests by residents and measures taken by local authorities at some destinations.

Given this new tourism paradigm, we need to discuss its central role for development and re-qualification of cities and destinations – bearing in mind that it needs to be planned and managed, so that the original character and authenticity of our places are preserved for future generations. We must start right away. As the rate of change in the business environment is ever increasing, we must identify how these changes will affect our business and our customers and make adjustments accordingly, so that we may survive and excel in this dynamic environment.

With a warm environment that lives around the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the lives of local communities, it is important to re-think destination strategies and, rather than preventing tourists from arriving, it is important to encourage them to diversify their destinations, activities, reduce seasonality and, above all, meet the needs of local communities.

This is the context that justifies and accommodates our broad strategic question, which aims to evaluate what tourism will be in 12 years’ time, and the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for destinations and organizations. The outcome of this strategic issue is a rich plethora of answers and solutions clearly presented and discussed by various authors contributing to this journal’s volume.

Dr Jorge Costa

Global Trends Editor