IRNIST 2023
Conference Topic
Sport tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors within the global tourism industry (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2020). Within this geopolitical context, small-scale sport tourism events offer a wealth of opportunities for local host cities and communities (Melo, Sobry & Van Rheenen, 2021). Many cities, countries, and regions seek to capitalize on the local and global opportunities of sport tourism. However, as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the 21st Century, the global tourism industry has been challenged to confront the ethical and legal mandates regarding sustainability.
The notion of sport tourism as an innovative tool for sustainable territorial development or “vectors for sustainable development” (Pickel-Chevalier, 2015) has gained recent purchase within the literature (Mazza & Sobry, 2022; Melo, Sobry & Van Rheenen, 2021; Naria et al., 2022; Van Rheenen & Melo, 2021). These territories have emerged in numerous locations globally, islands of commerce and touristic experiences within nation-states and natural environments (parks, mountain ranges, etc.) that traverse traditional borders and boundaries.
The 9th IRNIST Conference therefor especially addresses papers dealing with the ongoing IRNIST project dealing with sports tourism on small islands as well as papers focusing on the main topics of forthcoming Special Issue of Sustainability (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/YWZR69TGB6). In addition we also encourage authors to send papers focusing focus on sports tourism as a factor in the development of a territory.
Topics for the conference could be:
- Sports Tourism on small islands
- Sports Tourism and (running) events
- Novel ways of understanding (knowing and doing) sustainable sport tourism;
- Conceptual models regarding sport tourism and sustainable development;
- Critical innovations in sport tourism;
- Territorial development at the intersection of sport tourism and local, sustainable practices;
- Green or ecolabeling and branding linked to sport tourism;
- Best environmental management practices for sport tourism;
- New media and emerging technologies linked to sport tourism and sustainability;
- Critical ecopedagogy and sport tourism development;
- Stakeholder collaborations in eco-friendly sport tourism activities or events;
- Other relevant topics related to the subject.