Why is the transition to sustainable tourism challenging for Mediterranean coastal destinations?

Abstract

This article explores why destinations find the transition to sustainable tourism challenging. Through a composite and layered approach drawing together complexity theory, transition management and path dependency theory, the conditions that cause resistance to sustainability, including within policymaking, are identified. Two Mediterranean destinations having the highest tourism intensity act as case studies: coastal Croatia and Malta. The study, first, using the lens of complexity theory, historical policy and performance data, determines that both destinations have complex tourism systems. Through transition management theory, it then examines the destinations’ typology of transition. Complementing the historical data, themes from stakeholder focus groups inform the categorisation of transition and identify Croatia’s and Malta’s persistent problems. This directs the study to the root causes for the slow transition, imposing path dependency or triggering path plasticity. No evidence was found for path creation to sustainability. These findings, informed by the theoretical lenses, shed light on four main conditions: path-dependence, inconsistent transition policies, extractive approaches for growth prioritization, and persistent problems that make the shift to sustainability challenging, compounded by policy-makers’ assumptions. The study signals broader governance issues for the sustainable management of Mediterranean destinations.