João Romão

This Special Issue addresses relations between tourism activities, smart specialization strategies, and sustainable development at different territorial levels, including the local, regional, national, and international. Framed by appropriate conceptual frameworks to define the contemporary dynamics of innovation in tourism, case studies supported by advanced quantitative methods and developed in rural and urban areas of Asia, Europe, and Africa are presented and discussed. The concept of smart specialization inspires the formulation of regional innovation policies and strategies, emphasizing the importance of endogenous resources and existing territorial capabilities. By exploring the diversity and variety of each economy to develop inter-sectoral relations, this approach aims at promoting the creation of spillover effects of innovation processes supported by adequate key enabling technologies, potentially leading to the sustainable development of places, regions, and countries. As an activity that mobilizes contributions from different economic sectors, tourism may play a central role in such strategies. As described and discussed in this Special Issue, aspects related to the creative sectors of economies, information and communication technologies, traditional products and lifestyles, food production, or diverse cultural values can be mobilized to generate innovative and sustainable solutions for tourism development.

Tourism, Smart Specialization and Sustainable Development

Peter Nijkamp

Álvaro Matias

This book presents a series of studies on the socio-economic impacts of tourism, with a special focus on the determinants of tourism competitiveness at the destination level. The authors offer a systematic overview of this important issue, presenting relevant empirical studies from different parts of the world, based on modern theoretical approaches and adequate analysis tools, in the context of their policy or managerial implications. The first part of the book discusses the analysis and assessment of quantitative tourism impacts on local economies, while the second part focuses on non-material aspects of tourism development, in particular those related to the role of innovation and human resources. The final section highlights the different dynamics often observed in tourism destinations arising from the interaction between tourists and local communities.

João Romão

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