Transformation in Sea Sand Sun Tourism Research: A Literature Review on Thematic Developments and Changing Paradigms between 2010-2024
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Abstract
This study presents a comprehensive review of sea–sand–sun (SSS) tourism research from 2010 to 2024, mapping thematic shifts, conceptual evolution, and emerging paradigms. Synthesizing articles, books, and conference proceedings from academic databases, it shows that SSS scholarship has moved beyond traditional mass-tourism and strictly growth-oriented frames. Sustainability—environmental, socio-cultural, and economic—now anchors inquiry. Concurrently, changing tourist profiles, experience-driven expectations, and digitalization have reshaped marketing, while product diversification, alternative tourism, and destination repositioning have gained prominence. Global crises, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, propelled topics such as crisis management, risk, and destination resilience to the forefront. Governance, policy, and planning approaches have evolved toward more participatory, adaptive, and sustainability-focused models. Overall, SSS tourism research in 2010–2024 displays a more critical, holistic, and solution-oriented character aimed at long-term sustainability. This transformation yields significant theoretical and practical implications for future development strategies, including integrated sustainability metrics, experience design, digital marketing analytics, and resilience planning. It also opens promising avenues for further research on climate adaptation, inclusive accessibility, regenerative tourism, smart technologies, and multi-stakeholder governance. By consolidating dispersed insights, the review clarifies the field’s evolving priorities and provides a coherent agenda for scholars and practitioners committed to reshaping SSS destinations for sustainable competitiveness in the future.
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References
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