Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In today's globalized world, tourism is an increasing key economic driver and provider of income and jobs for mountain economies throughout the region.But, the increasing number of tourists has led to increased environmental problems, such as biodiversity loss, deforestation, waste production, water shortage and ecosystem degradation.The aim of this study is to shed light on the connection between sustainable tourism development and environmental issues in mountain economies, which are derived from secondary data sources obtained from various international reports, government documents, tourism statistics and academic publications.This paper critically assesses the socio-economic value and importance of mountain tourism and identifies its ecological vulnerabilities caused by the unplanned growth of tourism.Use of sustainable (eco)tourism approaches, including community involvement, green infrastructure projects, environmental governance, climate resilient tourism planning, and eco-tourism.The study also examines the different policy frameworks and institutional measures implemented in different mountain destinations for the trade-off between economic gains and environmental protection.Results have shown that whilst well-managed policies, combined with local stakeholder engagement, can support the use of sustainable tourism as an important tool for promoting more sustainable development, longterm regional resilience and ecological protection.The paper argues that the introduction of sustainable principles in tourism planning is needed to maintain the sustainability of fragile mountain ecosystems and local communities' socio-economic systems.The proposed findings in the study are relevant to the policy makers, researchers and tourism practitioners for the promotion of environmentally responsible tourism development in the mountain economy.
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7212084697