Chair: Khomsi, R-M, ESG-UQAM

The question of the sustainability of tourism practices has been widely studied since the 1990s. In fact, the first reflections on this subject focused on the impact of tourism on host communities, more particularly in southern countries, with the objective of optimizing the positive spin-offs for the various stakeholders of a destination. Since then, other issues have been studied by researchers, moving from the real impact of new forms of tourism on territories (ecotourism, social and solidarity tourism, inclusive tourism, etc.) to the contribution of tourist activity, to the climatic changes. Over time, research on the subject has mobilized very diverse corpora and methodologies to the point of seeing the emergence of several scientific journals devoted exclusively to the issue of sustainability in tourism. This effervescence of research on sustainable tourism is in fact explained by the unbridled growth of tourist activity - 1.5 billion tourist arrivals in 2019 (UNWTO, 2020)[1] - and the emergence in certain territories of a movement of resistance to the tourist phenomenon. The example of Venice is probably the most famous in this respect, and symbolizes what some researchers call ‘tourist overdose’ (Proulx, 2006). Nevertheless, the case of Venice is far from being the only one. Other cases such as Barcelona, ​​Rome and Osaka, where citizens have expressed their exasperation with the behavior of tourists (Higgins-Desbiolles, 2019[2]), have received wide media coverage in all four corners of the world. In this context, the concept of overtourism is increasingly used to designate the over-frequentation of certain territories by tourists and the potential impacts, more particularly, social and environmental, on these territories (Khomsi et al., 2020[3]).

The issues of tourist overcrowding in the territories were at the forefront of research until the arrival of the pandemic. Since then, and with the consequences that the health crisis has had on the tourism industry all over the world, the question of tourism recovery has been at the center of concerns. For several researchers, despite all the negative effects generated by the pandemic, this may be an opportunity to seize to revive more sustainable tourism. For Christin (2020)[4], before returning to the same practices that prevailed before the pandemic, it is necessary to question the tourism development model. Should we in the name of economic logic continue to sacrifice ecosystems, territories, and communities? Berriane (2020)[5] recalls in this respect by exposing the case of Morocco that local tourism, very popular during the health crisis, has always been a lifeline for the tourism sector at times of crisis, but that the return to the same model international mass tourism tends to regain the upper hand as soon as the crisis seems to subside.

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As part of this symposium, we would therefore like to ask the question whether it is possible in territories, where tourism contributes significantly to the economy of the country, to reconcile sustainability and tourist development. The question is certainly not new, it is even outdated. That being said, we want to undertake it from a new perspective. More concretely, in a context where the health crisis has shown that the destinations that depend on international tourism are those that have suffered the most, and in a context where the latest IPCC report encourages us to reduce our travel and more particularly by plane, it is permissible to ask the following questions:

• What future for international tourism in the context of the fight against climate change? How can countries that depend on international tourism adapt?

• Is the reflex of sustainability present among tourists? Is it something that is exclusive to tourists from northern countries? What about citizens of developing countries?

• What are the strategies to be deployed by companies, and more particularly SMEs and VSEs, to contribute to tourism sustainability?

Other issues that aim to question the tourism development model in the context of the health and climate crisis can be considered.

[1] UNWTO. (2020). International Tourist Arrivals Could Fall by 2030% in 2020

[2] Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2019). Rethinking tourism so the locals actually benefit from hosting visitors. The conversation, publié en mai, 22

[3] Khomsi , M.R; Fernandez-Aubin; L & Rabier, L (2020) : A prospective analysis of overtourism in Montreal, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing.

[4] Christin,M. (2020) « Orienter l’aventure », Téoros.  Vol 39 (n°3)

[5] Mohamed Berriane, « Le tourisme marocain de l’après-COVID-19», Téoros Téoros.  Vol 39 (n°3)