Call for Papers: Overcoming Overtourism: Are Proximity-Based Tourism and Bottom-Up Approaches Able to Both Enhance Cultural Heritage and Foster Place-Based Innovation?
Journal of Place Management and Development - Emerald Publishing
Francesca Bragaglia (Politecnico di Torino) Luca Tricarico (CNR IRCrES โ Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth) Fabrizio Aimar (Texas A&M University College of Architecture)
Key Dates:Opening Date for Submissions: 15 February 2025
Closing Date: 15 October 2025
Why This Special Issue?
Overtourism has become a growing concern in academic, political, and public debates due to its profound social, economic, and environmental consequences. It has sparked urgent discussions about how to mitigate the negative effects of mass tourism on local communities and fragile ecosystems. Among the proposed solutions, proximity tourism offers a compelling approach by encouraging a shift toward slower, more locally embedded forms of travel, fostering community participation, and reimagining traditional tourism paradigms.
Proximity tourism transcends the idea of geographical, organizational and relational closeness, inviting individuals to engage deeply with familiar and lesser-known places through new perspectives. This approach not only challenges traditional, attraction-focused tourism but also opens opportunities for social innovation and participatory frameworks that prioritize community well-being, inclusivity, and equitable development.
However, proximity tourism also requires critical examination. Risks such as the folklorization of local cultures, the unsustainable development paths of near-home destinations, and the creation of new forms of negative externalities demand careful consideration. How can proximity tourism genuinely empower communities while avoiding these pitfalls?
We are looking at papers concerning topics such as social innovation through community-based models, rethinking cultural heritage via proximity tourism, critical perspectives on tourism's contradictions, the economic and environmental impacts of fostering circular economies, the dynamics between rural and urban areas, and how technological innovations are shaping tourism experiences.
++Please visit the SI website below for a complete list of topics++
Contributions that delve into innovative practices, empirical insights, and theoretical reflections are highly encouraged.
Submission InformationManuscripts should follow the journalโs author guidelines and be submitted via ScholarOne. During submission, please select the special issue title from the dropdown menu.
Please feel free to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information.
