The commitment to sustainability and its impact on tourism: the case of the European Green Capitals
Abstract
The integration of sustainability values into territorial management challenges places to commit to and implement strategies that ensure ecological transition. The recognition of the good environmental performance of urban areas, through international awards, can have an impact on their reputational value as sustainable destinations and influence the behaviour of residents and visitors. In this context, an exploratory study was carried out with the aim of interpreting the purpose and significance of the European Green Capital Award in the context of the internal dynamics and external projection of the award-winning cities. The methodological approach was a literature review to map the field of research, supported by the Web of Science bibliographic database, and with recourse to grey literature. The results show that the award, in addition to recognizing the city as a model of urban sustainability, presupposes a strategy that, prior to the application itself, is oriented towards objectives that commit the territory to the green transition and an ambitious action plan, whose initiatives are intended to have repercussions internally and in its external positioning, suggesting possible impacts on tourism. The nature of the study only allows for preliminary insights to be presented, which should be interpreted as a basis for future empirical research, more comprehensive and in-depth, on the disruptive nature of the European Green Capital award in the context of the territory and its tourism development.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2026.SpecialIssueCMTH.78-95
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DOI: 10.54663/2182-9306
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