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- Sprache: Englisch
In times of crisis and uncertainty, tourism suffers multiple transformations such as societal, ecological, technological, and political changes, among many others. Beyond the cyclical adjustments, these upheavals call for agility on the part of tourism territories and organizations at various levels.
Tourism Agility in Times of Crisis and Uncertainty 2 explores, from a multidisciplinary perspective, tourism agility through the dimensions of attractiveness, marketing and sustainability. It begins by analyzing the agile attitude of the tourist as a consumer and deciphers a wide range of agile strategies and policies implemented by actors and territories: digital communication by Côte d'Azur destination management organizations, creativity in the French spa sector, integration of attractions and key locations in the Chaîne des Puys and tourism enhancement in Hauts-de-France.
The book then analyzes sustainability as a central issue in tourism agility, whether we are talking about flexibly managing visitor flows to major natural heritage sites, characterizing local tourism, thinking about hypermobility or examining soft mobility.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Table of Contents
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Foreword: Thinking on Tourist Destinations as Complex Systems in Times of Uncertainty
The evolution of destinations and the creation of trajectories
Uncertainty and the adaptation processes of destinations
The complexity of destinations and the challenge of resilience
Agility as a guiding principle for the governance of complex destinations towards resilience
Acknowledgments
References
Acknowledgments
Introduction to the Authors of the Two Volumes
Henri Alexis
Alexis Annes
Claudine Batazzi
Jacinthe Bessière
Denis Bories
Sylvie Christofle
Sylvie Clarimont
Salvador Anton Clavé
Fabrice Decoupigny
Sascha Diwersy
Nathalie Fabry
Marie-Ève Férérol
Carine Fournier
Sandrine Fournier
Isabelle Frochot
Jean-Christophe Gay
Émeline Hatt
Vincent Herbert
Jean-Denis Hue
David Huron
Boualem Kadri
Patrizia Laudati
Véronique Magri
Jean-Bernard Marsat
Cyril Martin-Colonna
Véronique Mondou
Paul-Emmanuel Pichon
Étienne Polge
Noémie Ravas
Otto Regalado-Pezúa
Shiwei Shen
Juan Carlos Sosa Varela
Marios Sotiriadis
Jacques Spindler
Leonardo Toro
Laurent Vanni
Philippe Violier
Sylvain Zeghni
Introduction
References
Part 1: Marketing and Communication at the Heart of Tourism Agility: Stories from Actors and Regions
1 Tourist Consumer-driven Agility: A Framework for Tourism Marketing
1.1. Introduction: marketing environment and consumer behavior in the digital era
1.2. Theoretical framework: agile marketing
1.3. A blended approach: a framework based on two models
1.4. Proposed framework for implementing marketing agility in tourism
1.5. Conclusion
1.6. References
2 Online Communication Agility for International Tourist Destinations: Cannes, Nice, Monaco
2.1. Theoretical framework
2.2. Methodology
2.3. Results and discussion
2.4. Conclusion
2.5. References
3 “Les Accros du peignoir” (Massif Central): Proof of the Agility of the French Spa Scene
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Methodology
3.3. Contextualization: the decline of the Massif Central’s flagship resorts
3.4. The remedy for the crisis: a territorial brand based on humor, inclusivity, experience and openness to the cultural world
6
3.5. Conclusion
3.6. References
4 Attractions and Interconnected Destinations: The Case of the Chaîne des Puys–Limagne Fault UNESCO Site
4.1. Issues, references and models
4.2. Case study
4.3. Discussion – conclusion
4.4. References
5 Collective Agility at the Heart of Tourism Development in Hauts-de-France During the Covid Period
5.1. Promoting the “HDF destination” in the region
5.2. The agility of tourism players: adapt, develop and innovate
5.3. Adding value and agility through digitalization
5.4. Promotional synergy between official operators/tourism professionals and citizens/tourists
5.5. Methodology, results and discussion
5.6. Conclusion
5.7. References
Part 2: Sustainability: A Challenge for Tourism Agility?
6 Managing Visitor Numbers: A Public Policy Challenge for Preserving and Enhancing our Natural Heritage
6.1. Visits to natural areas with a high profile and major management challenges
6.2. Managers of natural areas increasingly inclined to implement visitor management systems
6.3. Visitor management systems: between concrete implementation difficulties and ambivalent social perceptions
6.4. Conclusion
6.5. References
7 Metropolitan Areas and Local Tourism
7.1. Introduction
7.2. Metropolises and local leisure activities
7.3. Impact of second homes on attractiveness
7.4. Prospective simulations of attractiveness
7.5. Conclusion
7.6. References
8 Hypermobility and Environmental and Societal Challenges
8.1. Introduction
8.2. Methodology
8.3. Analytical framework
8.4. Main results
8.5. Discussion: a stark observation
8.6. Conclusion
8.7. References
9 Feedback on Soft Mobility and Sustainable Tourism in Côte d’Opale: The Bicycle, a Vector of Agility
9.1. Action research to understand local mobility issues
9.2. Institutional agility as a marker of “direction” for an ecotourism policy
9.3. The bicycle, a translation of “agile” practices for users
9.4. Conclusion
9.5. References
Conclusion
C.1. Tourism, territories and actors: from adaptation to agility
C.2. References
List of Authors for the Two Volumes
Index
Summary of Volume 1
Other titles from iSTE in Science, Society and New Technologies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 1
Table 1.1.
The consumer decision journey and influence by digital platforms
Table 1.2. Digital activities performed by tourists through the four stages of...
Chapter 2
Table 2.1. Date of the first post on the Nice Côte d’Azur, Cannes and Monaco D...
Table 2.2. Number of subscribers, average number of likes and comments, number...
Table 2.3. The official hashtag used by Instagrammers (authors: Christofle and...
Table 2.4. Reposts of Instagrammer publications on the DMO account (authors: C...
Table 2.5. The top 10 locations from the last 1,000 posts using the hashtag ex...
Table 2.6. Top 10 locations from the last 1,000 posts using the hashtag visitm...
Table 2.7. Assessing the speed of creating an Instagram account (authors: Chri...
Table 2.8. Number of posts in 2021 divided by the number of days in a year (au...
Table 2.9. Number of publications using the official hashtag divided by the to...
Table 2.10. Ratio between the number of reposts from the DMO and the average n...
Table 2.11.
Composite index (authors: Christofle and Fournier)
Table 2.12. Control variable: number of stays (average 2018–2019) (Observatoir...
Chapter 4
Table 4.1.
Distribution of locations by DMO
Chapter 6
Table 6.1. Types of flow management in tourist sites (design by Clarimont and ...
Table 6.2. Visitor acceptability of visitor management systems (source: Clarim...
Chapter 7
Table 7.1. Number of second homes in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes counties and ...
Chapter 8
Table 8.1. Combinations of tourism practices, destinations and choice of modes...
Chapter 9
Table 9.1. Main profiles of cycle tourists encountered on the Côte d’Opale (Hu...
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
Figure 1.1. Suggested framework for tourism marketing agility: a tourist-drive...
Chapter 2
Figure 2.1. Online communication agility of DMOs (authors: Christofle and Four...
Figure 2.2.
Data from Instagram accounts using PhantomBuster (screenshot).
Figure 2.3. Annual change in the number of posts on Instagram by the DMOs of N...
Figure 2.4. Terms that appear at least 100 times in Monaco’s DMO posts on Inst...
Figure 2.5. Terms that appear at least 100 times in Nice Côte d’Azur DMO posts...
Figure 2.6. Terms that appear at least 100 times in Cannes DMO posts on Instag...
Figure 2.7.
Most liked publication in Cannes, November 2023 (screenshot).
Figure 2.8. Monaco’s most-liked publication, November 2023 (screenshot)....
Figure 2.9.
Nice’s most liked publication, November 2023 (screenshot).
Chapter 3
Figure 3.1. Trends in spa visits (sources: (Jamot 1988) until 1982, then CNETh...
Figure 3.2. An Auvergne spa (heart of the Massif Central) struggling to regain...
Figure 3.3. Trends in spa visits in France and the Massif Central between 1986...
Figure 3.4. Example of a product marketed by RVE and promoted with the humor o...
Figure 3.5.
The use of different communication channels.
Figure 3.6.
An inclusive and deliberately wacky universe.
Figure 3.7.
Opening up spas to the contemporary cultural world.
Chapter 4
Figure 4.1.
Partial diagram of the various spatial forms of leisure travel
Figure 4.2. Attraction/destination interconnection diagram (production: Marsat...
Figure 4.3. Location of the Chaîne des Puys–faille de Limagne site and UNESCO ...
Figure 4.4. Map of inter-municipalities and site outline, intersecting five of...
Figure 4.5. Distribution of distances between tourist accommodation and CPFL c...
Figure 4.6. Interconnection between the attraction of the CPFL site and the de...
Chapter 5
Figure 5.1. Collective agility and interrelations in stakeholder-driven touris...
Figure 5.2.
Examples of logos (source: Somme tourisme).
Chapter 6
Figure 6.1. Change in the number of visits to national parks located near citi...
Figure 6.2. “Good practice” signs at the start of a trail in the Calanques Nat...
Figure 6.3. Would you say that measures to regulate visitor flows should be im...
Figure 6.4. Variability in the acceptability of restrictions of use in three n...
Figure 6.5. Acceptability of visitor use restrictions on the island of Porquer...
Chapter 7
Figure 7.1. Changes in the location of second homes in France between 1999 and...
Figure 7.2. (A) Changes in the residential function between 2013 and 2018 in t...
Figure 7.2. (B) Changes in the residential function between 2013 and 2018 in t...
Figure 7.3. Statistical correlations between the presence of local services an...
Figure 7.4. Probability of traffic within 120 min of the Côte d’Azur’s upper a...
Figure 7.5. (A) Probability of travel and the emergence of recreational areas....
Figure 7.5. (B) Probability of travel and the emergence of recreational areas....
Chapter 8
Figure 8.1. Combinations of tourism project, destination and mode of transport...
Figure 8.2. Combinations of tourism project, destination and mode of transport...
Figure 8.3. Combinations of tourism project, destination and mode of transport...
Figure 8.4. Combinations of tourism project, destination and mode of transport...
Figure 8.5. Combinations of tourism project, destination and mode of transport...
Figure 8.6. Combinations of tourism project, destination and mode of transport...
Chapter 9
Figure 9.1. “Barbe à questions”, Sea festival, Boulogne-sur-Mer, July 12, 2023...
Figure 9.2. Tourist map from ADRT Pas-de-Calais tourisme (source: ADRT, Pas-de...
Figure 9.3.
Layout of cycle route No. 4
12
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Guide
Cover Page
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Foreword. Thinking on Tourist Destinations as Complex Systems in Times of Uncertainty
Acknowledgments
Introduction to the Authors of the Two Volumes
Introduction
Begin Reading
Conclusion
List of Authors for the Two Volumes
Index
Summary of Volume 1
Other titles from iSTE in Science, Society and New Technologies
Wiley End User License Agreement
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Tourism and Mobility Systems Set
coordinated by Philippe Violier
Volume 12
Tourism Agility in Times of Crisis and Uncertainty 2
Between Marketing-Communication and Sustainability
Edited by
Sylvie Christofle
First published 2025 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:
ISTE Ltd 27-37 St George’s Road London SW19 4EU UK
www.iste.co.uk
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030 USA
www.wiley.com
© ISTE Ltd 2025The rights of Sylvie Christofle to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s), contributor(s) or editor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ISTE Group.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2025933205
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978-1-78630-995-2
ForewordThinking on Tourist Destinations as Complex Systems in Times of Uncertainty
Covid-19, climate change and the increasing social, political and ecological tensions of today’s world have enriched both academic and political debates on tourism (Cheer et al. 2019; Prayag 2020; Gössling and Higham 2021). These tensions represent new challenges for tourist destinations, while also intensifying others that were already latent (Prideaux et al. 2020).
From November 8 to 10 2022, the 11th edition of the international multidisciplinary symposium AsTRES (Association for Tourism, Research and Higher Education) was held in Nice. The aim of this event, Tourism Agility in Times of Crises: Replications, Accelerations, Reinventions…? – which led to the publication of this book – was to identify the elements that characterize the “agile” dimension of tourism through a multidisciplinary approach. As suggested in the call for papers, agility or even flexibility should enable tourism and tourist destinations to cope with crises and periods of uncertainty.
Agility can be understood as the capacity of complex spaces, such as tourist destinations, to anticipate and capitalize on ongoing changes. Based on this definition, concepts related to complexity were employed throughout the symposium to analyze how destinations, as places, can adapt, evolve and reduce their vulnerability in the face of crises. The various speakers explored how the iterative, incremental and adaptive structure of agility could be particularly valuable in developing economically, socially and environmentally successful strategies.
In this context, this preliminary contribution to the works presented in this volume seeks to broadly reflect on the need to consider complexity and agility in shaping new alternative pathways to articulate what can be termed “tourism transitions” across various levels or scales.
The evolution of destinations and the creation of trajectories
Research on the evolution, transformation and change in tourist destinations has demonstrated that they are in constant flux (Saarinen 2004) and can respond to critical events due to their dynamism and forward-looking vision. Destinations find the necessary resources to overcome their vulnerability and adapt to new scenarios in diverse ways (Brouder et al. 2017). It is also well established that the transformation of tourist destinations extends far beyond models based solely on tourism performance indicators (Sanz Ibáñez and Anton Clavé 2014). Destinations can be differentiated by the evolving quality of their tourism offerings as they adapt to changes (Equipe MIT 2002), as well as by the transformation of their core activities (Prideaux 2004).
Research on the transformation of tourist destinations has also shown that, during times of crisis, they shape their sustainability through innovation and learning (Hudson 2010), which act as mechanisms for building capacity to overcome vulnerability and increase adaptability (Cheer and Lew 2017; Saarinen and Gill 2018). Historical analyses have illuminated these processes (Walton 1983), as have the application of models like the tourism area lifecycle (Butler 1980, 2014), the study of restructuring dynamics (Agarwal 2002) and investigations into the trajectories of tourist destinations (Coëffe and Stock 2021). In all cases, adaptation strategies lead to varied outcomes, ranging from the redevelopment and reconfiguration of tourism dynamics (Anton Clavé 2012) to the metamorphosis of places (Clivaz et al. 2014), or even the abandonment of tourism activities altogether (Baum 1998).
To grasp the diversity of these situations and the outcomes of these change processes, it is necessary to employ complex, nonlinear and non-deterministic conceptual and analytical models. This analysis can be approached through the lens of evolutionary economic geography (EEG) (Boschma and Lambooy 1999). Key concepts within EEG, such as path dependence (Bramwell and Cox 2009; Ma and Hassink 2013), path creation (Gill and Williams 2014), path plasticity (Halkier and Therkelsen 2013) and path shaping (Bramwell 2011), are useful for understanding how tourist destinations transform into complex places governed by varied processes interacting across different scales (Benner 2023).
We can identify three fundamental pillars that simultaneously influence and distinguish the evolutionary performance of tourist destinations and determine their agility: the role of actors, context and dependency (Sanz Ibáñez and Anton Clavé 2022). From this perspective, the dynamics of destinations cannot be viewed as a simple linear trajectory from less developed to more consolidated states. Instead, this evolution results from multiple forces that produce a diversity of situations, each with different timelines and cycles.
Within this conceptual framework, the intervention of actors can deliberately and consciously shift evolutionary paths away from their inertia (Baekkelund 2021). The context either creates or limits the possibilities for economic actions and interactions (Li and Bathelt 2011). Lastly, past events and decisions, even the most random or involuntary, have long-term consequences (Martin and Sunley 2006).
As a result, each destination, shaped by its own geographical, socioeconomic and cultural conditions, the negotiating power among its various subgroups of actors, its technological penetration, leadership and the governance regime that has emerged, formulates specific responses to the challenges posed by current global change forces and local transitions (Cheer et al. 2021). A clear example of this is the diversity of policies implemented in response to climate change in French winter sports resorts, where organizational transformation and actors’ responsiveness were critical in understanding the trajectory of these spaces (Rech et al. 2019).
Uncertainty and the adaptation processes of destinations
Recent disruptive trends in tourism production and consumption, such as low-cost travel, the rise of peer-to-peer platforms (like Airbnb, for example), Web 2.0, the climate emergency and social networks, have forced destinations to adapt more quickly and confront urgent social, environmental and economic challenges (Fayos-Solà and Cooper 2019). Other more or less long shocks, whether ecological (e.g. Hurricane Katrina), health-related (e.g. Covid-19), economic (e.g. global financial crises) or political (e.g. wars and regional political instability), have also impacted tourist destinations to varying degrees. Depending on their capacity to adapt, these destinations have initiated processes of reorganization, shifted to a different state, or renewed themselves (Brouder 2020).
Thus, while the pandemic was seen by many as an opportunity to critically reassess the prior trajectory of tourism growth, and even used to develop alternative research and action scenarios (Bianchi 2020), there have been diverse responses and dynamics at the destination level, driven by local characteristics and the power interactions among decision-makers. For instance, some destinations have started implementing actions that, at least conceptually, emphasize degrowth (Langer and Schumude 2024), while others have focused their development on social and environmental well-being, promoted sustainable consumption among both residents and visitors, or advanced corporate social responsibility programs aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (European Parliament 2021). Nevertheless, apart from some political actions, there have been notable market inertia following the Covid period, with the pandemic merely acting as a temporary pause in many destinations’ growth dynamics and ability to attract visitors (Mansilla and Hughes 2021).
It is also well documented that tourism is a growing source of conflict within the communities where it develops. This may be due to nuisances (noise, waste, privatization of spaces, incivility and crime), structural transformations in the form of tourism development (such as the opening of hotels, the proliferation of legal and illegal tourist apartments, disruption of commercial activities, transformation of buildings, rising rent prices and gentrification) or the commodification of culture and the environment, which often leads to folklorization: the loss of identity, dilution of cultural identity and the overexploitation of heritage (Novy and Colomb 2019).
The above points clearly illustrate the link between uncertainty and tourism, particularly the relationship between uncertainty and the evolution of destinations (Ghaderi et al. 2015). These changes are shaped by the actions and interactions (whether agile or not) of actors and their ability to adapt or create new trajectories in response to structural disruptions or situational shocks, in addition to local challenges (Lew 2014). In this context, the concept of resilience, which originates from disaster studies and challenges the sustainability-based approach to analyzing the transformation of socioeconomic systems (Vale and Campanella 2005; Mehmood 2016), is especially relevant for analyzing destinations as complex socioeconomic and environmental systems in today’s era of uncertainties.
In this regard, analytical models such as the adaptive cycle by Gunderson and Holling (2002) allow the application of the resilience concept to destinations. In this framework, where destinations are both evolving/reactive territories and systems of actors undergoing change processes catalyzed by tourism (Butler and Dodds 2022), uncertainty plays a crucial role, whether linked to new social dynamics or triggered by major shocks. The adaptive cycle comprises four phases: exploitation, conservation, release and reorganization. Without delving into detail, it is evident that this model emphasizes a complex approach to the evolving dynamics of destinations, underlining the pivotal role of agility. As McLeod (2020) demonstrated in the case of the Bahamas, the relationship between governance and resilience, as well as the importance of agent networks, are key to understanding the process of destination evolution.
From this perspective, the agility of human action (actors, leadership, political intervention and collaborative dynamics) largely determines destinations’ ability to respond to short-term trigger events and shape new development paths toward more resilient (innovative and sustainable) long-term goals (Gill and Williams 2014). This is essential for defining objectives such as social innovation, sustainability and inclusive and cohesive growth in tourist destinations, which are inherently complex (McDonald 2009).
The complexity of destinations and the challenge of resilience
In a context of uncertainties where nearly all actors, despite differing approaches (Hall 2019), share similar principles concerning sustainability, there is a consensus on the need to renew tourism on a different foundation, in which resilience would play a significant role (Transforming Tourism Initiative 2017; European Travel Commission 2020). The challenge lies in rethinking and acting on the evolutionary trajectories of the tourism phenomenon in a new way (Knafou 2023). These trajectories are linked, on the one hand, to the ability of destinations to adapt to new conditions of attractiveness, and, on the other hand, to the management of factors correlated with the transformation of the primary productive activity and the broader context of global change (Gibson 2021).
In this framework, establishing destination policies focused on promoting sustainability and the digitization of tourism to revive growth post-crisis is insufficient (European Commission 2022). It must be acknowledged that the challenges faced by destinations are inherently connected to global factors, associated with productive, social and environmental dynamics on a global scale. These factors are ultimately fundamental for resilience (Cheer et al. 2021): the climate emergency, the energy transition shifting market preferences driven by environmental awareness, over- or under-tourism, or even the “infusion” of tourism and leisure into developed societies.
Given that a destination is a multifunctional, multi-component and multi-activity system (Gretzel and Scarpino Johns 2018), managing it poses a significant challenge. To address this, there is a need for complex conceptual, analytical and governance models with a systemic perspective that facilitate the development of its social, physical, environmental and financial capital (Fabry and Zeghni 2019).
Complexity is, in fact, a key term in defining destinations. Here, complexity is understood as the nature and behavior of a system whose components interact non-linearly, without a predetermined plan, spontaneously leading to the emergence of new processes based on the available information. This results in behaviors that are difficult to predict (Colchester 2016). Complexity pertains to open systems, which implies that a destination must be understood within its environment, considering the multiple and varied relationships and interactions that shape it (Baggio and Sainaghi 2011), and that enable its adaptive capacity (Hartman 2018).
The analysis of tourist destinations as complex systems has proven valuable for studying interdependent and multifaceted concepts related to resilience, such as sustainability, vulnerability and equity, among others (Huang and Bahja 2022). These analyses have also contributed to improving classic models of the lifecycle of tourist areas by accounting for turbulence, change and unpredictability (Russell and Faulkner 2004). Additionally, it is important to recall that the complexity approach is one of the three theoretical pillars on which evolutionary economic geography is built, alongside path dependence and generalized Darwinism (Martin and Sunley 2015).
From a resilience perspective, the complexity of destinations can thus be understood as their ability to produce change in order to enhance their capacity for adjustment, and gain flexibility to overcome vulnerability and increase adaptability (Hall et al. 2018). In this context, the actions of actors, particularly their agility, refer to the specific actions taken in particular places and times, driven by the envisioning of one or more different futures. These futures are made possible by combining knowledge, networks and other resources in new and sometimes unexpected ways (Grillitsch and Sotarauta 2020). Relatedly, and in agreement with Scutarri and Corradini (2018), it is important to emphasize that resilience should be understood as a property of a complex system. This is useful for defining future trajectories at the scale of each destination, as well as for renewing its alternatives and competitive advantages (Gretzel and Scarpino Johns 2018).
Agility as a guiding principle for the governance of complex destinations towards resilience
Understanding complexity helps to define the actions of stakeholders who participate in the governance dynamics of destinations, leading them toward new scenarios when external forces, with short- or long-term consequences, impact their trajectory (Gössling et al. 2021).
The major challenge for a destination, then, is to establish governance tools in a context of constant change and learning (Fabry and Zeghni 2019), and this by facilitating the change (transformation) rather than merely the reaction (recovery). In this context, resilience, as an inherent characteristic of complex systems, must be a fundamental component of destination governance (Anton Clavé and Matus 2023) and transformation processes of destinations for two reasons. First, studies on resilience demonstrate that while a system‘s ability to react is important, its ability to evolve toward a more sustainable state is even more so. Second, the hegemonic battle between different groups over the definition of resilience criteria (Paidakaki and Moullaert 2017) complicates a “politics of resilience” in which it is essential to disentangle the implicit responses to questions such as “resilience for whom and against what?” (Vale 2014, p. 191).
In the field of tourism studies, the concept of resilience has primarily focused on the capacity to recover following catastrophic events or gradual long-term changes (Hall et al. 2018); however, interest in the evolving resilience of complex destinations extends to their capacity to evolve toward equitable conditions of social and spatial justice, more ecological mobility, mitigation of climate emergency, commitment to low-carbon emission, and social and gender equality. As Zacher et al. (2022) argue, the resilience of destinations thus encompasses the willingness and competence to anticipate crises, implement efficient strategies in case of a crisis, and, in the long-term, grow and adapt for the benefit of all stakeholders, especially the community in which tourism develops.
As such, adaptability is an ongoing process that, from an evolutionary perspective, must consistently involve all stakeholders in the dynamics of a destination. This includes societal change throughout a persistent learning, more and more focused on resilient processes of reflection, preparation, action, governance and execution (Fabry and Zeghini 2019). This largely relies on collaborative efforts among tourism actors and it can be assumed that implementing this can be more difficult for certain destinations than others, depending, among other factors, on the robustness of their structures and the dynamics of their governance (Bono Gispert and Anton Clavé 2020).
With increased leisure time, reduced long-distance mobility, limited purchasing power, a digital lifestyle, more developed environmental awareness, an increasing concentration of economics power and global ecosystemic emergency, to cite some important factors of global change, we can assert that destinations can reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience without compromising on social justice and environmental integrity (Njoroge 2022).
However, the role of agility in meeting the challenge of reinforcing resilience (in the sense of increasing the ability of local destinations to anticipate, prepare for, respond to and recover from disruption while reducing vulnerability) is limited in part due to two shortcomings. First, the lack of coherence amongst most action plans developed by destinations following the recovery policies implemented after the Covid-19 crisis, primarily focused on digitalization and sustainability than on long-term resilience objectives (European Parliament 2021). Second, the lack of measures and tools to help decision-makers in tourism to evaluate the success of the actions and decision undertaken in terms of resilience.
In any case, to conclude, it is necessary to further reflect on the role of tourism in our future society from the perspective of governance for tourist destinations as complex systems (Amore et al. 2018). In this regard, the two volumes that compile the contributions from the symposium Tourism Agility in Times of Crises: Replications, Accelerations, Reinventions...? are of great value. The first volume concerns the uncertainties linked to the dynamics of tourist destinations and tourism in the context of an increasingly digital and technological society that requires agility. The second volume focuses on adaptability, marketing and sustainability, with contributions on territorial attractiveness, digital marketing and sustainability as a key issue for tourism agility.
Acknowledgments
This publication is part of the ADAPTOUR research project (contract number PID2020-112525RB-I00) created by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50110 0011033.
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