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The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to discuss whether children can play a role in the sustainability of the tourism industry as a whole.

The paper is based on a literature review of key terms: sustainable tourism; mountain tourism; children; and empowerment.

Children could potentially play a role in the sustainability of tourism if they are empowered to do so. mini-clubs in mountain resorts could, for instance, contribute to their social empowerment using a catalytic strategy.

Practitioners involved in the sustainability of the tourism industry should investigate ways to make the sustainability endeavour of the industry more inclusive. As for academics, they should devote time for research on children, as they are an important stakeholder group for the industry.

This paper focusses on children in the tourism industry. There is a dearth of research in this area.

This paper aims to evaluate the “Janus-faced” character and causes of overtourism to propose recommendations to tackle such a phenomenon.

A case study analysis approach is adopted for this study. Studies of practitioners are presented and reflected upon with reference to academic literature on overtourism.

The study presents practical examples from Haiti, Nicaragua and Zanzibar. Tourism practitioners’ studies on overtourism are presented and general recommendations on tackling overtourism are proposed.

This study will be of interest to tourism practitioners and Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) worldwide who seek understanding of the overtourism phenomenon and the associated negative impacts. The study provides useful recommendations that can be used in similar situations of overtourism.

The paper extends understanding of overtourism causes and consequences. While overtourism is generally looked at from impact studies, this paper argues the urgent need for solutions to tackle the phenomenon.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the future of the tourism industry in Haiti. More specifically, the paper answers the following question: will Haiti be able to reclaim a positive image and leading position in the Caribbean as a tourist destination?

Within the paradigm of theory building and exploratory approach, this conceptual study is based on a narrative literature review.

The turning point in the development of the tourism industry in Haiti has been the 2010 earthquake which has triggered a will to provide quality products and service specifically in the hospitality sector, the most dynamic sector of the tourism industry. With the diaspora, Haiti has the potential to reclaim a positive image and a leading position in the Caribbean. That said, before performing at this level, the destination must first and foremost contribute to the wellbeing of its people as a sine qua non condition for the success of its tourism industry.

The findings of this research may help potential investors to decide whether or not they want to invest in Haiti. The findings of the paper may also assist the DMO in its branding and marketing strategy.

The alleviation of poverty using tourism as a tool in a post-colonial, post-conflict and post-disaster context should be analysed, understood and approached from a human aspect point of view and perspective. Resilience is what better describes the tourism industry and the locals in Haiti. The locals are neither passive nor powerless.

As there is a growing demand of cutting-edge technology as part of the tourism experience from the digital native population and because little is known about this group as tourism consumers despite the fact they will be the core tourism spender of tomorrow, the purpose of this paper is to give children an opportunity to share their vision of the destination of the future.

From a methodological point of view, a qualitative approach is adopted. Children were asked to draw, communicate and display their view on their Winchester of the future. The data collected are used to formulate an innovative, smart-based future-fit management approach for products and services design.

To fully meet the needs and expectation of the coming generation of tourists, Winchester (city located in the South of England, and surrounded by some of the most visited UK destinations, namely London, Oxford and Cambridge) will have to adopt an ambidextrous management approach when developing products and services for customers of the future. This ambidextrous management approach will balance metaphorical thinking and objective thinking in product and service design.

There is a scarcity of studies on children in tourism research despite the fact the industry and academics recognise the value and impact of children, and more specifically, their role in purchase decisions. Equally important, this research is also going to contribute to the body of knowledge on smart management of destinations.

This paper aims to provide an overview of the significance of this theme issue. To develop a better understanding of the context, the phenomenon of overtourism is introduced. The paper also sheds light on perverse impacts of overtourism on key stakeholders and seeks to provide justification for the need for smart and sustainable strategies.

The research design follows a mixed approach and draws from a combination of case studies, online sources, literature reviews and an industry paper. This combination of primary, secondary and tertiary data enables more meaningful analysis of overtourism from destinations with different specificities and characteristics.

The paper provides valuable insight on the causes and consequences of overtourism on the destination and its people, which arguably include both tourists, residents and other stakeholders. Based on empirical evidence, the paper presents common strategies that are used to tackle overtourism and seeks to draw insights from those case studies to propose smarter and more sustainable strategies.

The value of this theme issue is that it presents a variety of case studies that might be used as examples to mitigate the consequences of overtourism. Destinations showing similar symptoms may draw from the paper to manage the strain of overtourism. As one size does not fit all, the variety of strategies proposed within those papers might help practitioners and destination managers to select and adapt them to their respective contexts. Further, the research findings may be applicable to other geographic regions with similar contexts.

Many tourism destinations are now facing the problem of overtourism, and destination management organisations (DMOs) are in search of an effective and sustainable solution. With this as a foundation, the purpose of this study is to identify factors causing overtourism at popular tourism destinations and to propose an alternative solution to overcome this phenomenon.

The research design is based on an inductive and a deductive approach. The paper draws its conclusion from secondary and tertiary data (literature review and online research).

The study shows that Trexit (tourism exit) is not a sustainable solution to overtourism and that an alternative strategy may be adopted to tackle this phenomenon. The overall outcome shows that if sociological factors, business factors, technological and economic factors are addressed, the effect of overtourism may be managed and controlled.

The findings of this piece of research refer to a Just-in-Time strategy for managing overtourism. The findings could be useful to practitioners, as the study proposes an alternative means to overcome overtourism and manage destinations without affecting visitor flow and profitability.

This research fulfils an existing research gap, as it proposes an alternative solution to tackle overtourism. The proposed model also helps to provide a broader insight of the dynamics surrounding overtourism at tourism destinations. In so doing, it advances the existing body of knowledge by providing new inputs to a topic that has not been discussed, namely, Trexit or tourism exit.

This concluding paper filters out smart and sustainable strategies drawn from a rich variety of articles presented throughout the theme issue. This paper aims to provide a summary of the key points related to the perverse impacts of overtourism and smart and sustainable strategies to overcome the phenomenon.

The methodological design is based on empirical evidence and case studies analysed by practitioners and academics.

The overall findings unpack different types of strategies based on collaborative input from tourists, locals, government, NGOs, DMOs and service providers. Based on the realities of today’s tourism environment, the outcome reveals that it is possible to address overtourism, but smart strategies are required as both tourists and residents (including relevant stakeholders) are sophisticated, emancipated and connected enough to understand the dynamism of overtourism.

The articles in this theme issue address a theoretical and practical gap while proposing innovative strategies to tackle overtourism in an era of “connected tourism.” The value of this paper lies in the fact that it draws from a variety of original case studies, each unique in their own right and proposes smart strategies that may be sustained in the future.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the link between history (heritage) and tourism marketing (destination branding). More specifically, the paper focusses on how heritage is used by private- and public-sector tourism organisations of post-colonial, post-conflict and post-disaster (PCCD) destinations in their branding strategy. In particular, the paper investigates how these organisations use heritage in their branding and logo design.

Within the paradigm of theory building and exploratory approach, this conceptual study is based on a narrative literature review and analysis of research and secondary data on Haiti. The study uses visual research methods to examine and reveal the basis and composition of logos of both private- and public-sector organisations in Haiti.

The findings of this paper suggest that capturing the essence of the destination is critical for any visual identification (i.e. logos), and that the visual identification can either adjust representation of past events to the time being (heritage) or move away from the past with clear expectations for the future. Such findings are reflected within the new marketing strategies adopted by the Haitian destination marketing organisation (DMO) and a private resort that we used as examples. Both moved from an idiosyncratic identity-based logo to a universal “sea-and-sun” stereotyped one that goes against heritage for which authenticity is the most important criterion.

The findings of this research may help destination managers in general, and DMOs in PCCD destinations in particular, to design logos aligned with their marketing and branding strategies. The findings of the paper may also assist industry experts in designing logos that communicate with potential tourists, by leveraging heritage to influence their emotion and decision making.

This paper represents one of the first papers in tourism research that examines branding strategies of both public and private sectors in the context of Haiti. The research contributes to the body of knowledge on heritage and destination marketing by exploring the role of heritage in the Caribbean area’s branding and marketing strategies.

The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to discuss whether dark tourism can be developed around the sites of recent terrorist attacks in France.

The paper is based on a literature review of key terms: dark tourism; tourism; and terrorism.

The paper observes that dark tourism is not popular in France, and dark tourism activities are unlikely to develop anywhere nearer the places where the recent terrorist attacks happened. France remains rather conservative in some aspects related to death.

Recent events in France might challenge the leadership of the destination. The disturbing commonalities between tourism and terrorism make it difficult to figure out suitable recovery strategies that would contribute to enhancing the image of the destination without jeopardising the life of civilians.

This paper presents France as a politically unstable tourist destination. In general, this scenario is normally associated with less-developed countries or non-established tourist destinations.