Stakeholders’ Involvement in Sustainable Destination Management: A Systematic Literature Review of Existing Multi-Stakeholder Frameworks and Approaches

Polymnia Panagiotopoulou () and Sofoklis Skoultsos
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Polymnia Panagiotopoulou: Department of Economics and Sustainable Development, Harokopio University of Athens, 17676 Athens, Greece
Sofoklis Skoultsos: Department of Economics and Sustainable Development, Harokopio University of Athens, 17676 Athens, Greece

Tourism and Hospitality, 2025, vol. 6, issue 5, 1-25

Abstract: This study aims to identify and critically compare multi-stakeholder frameworks and collaborative approaches for sustainable destination development. A comprehensive literature review was carried out, examining the most relevant frameworks published between 2014 and mid-2025. This study compares frameworks and collaborative approaches grounded in a real-life context, examining their operational mechanisms, foundational principles, and the adaptive perspectives tailored to specific destinations. The research questions were developed using the SPIDER tool, and the literature review was conducted using sources from various databases. Seventy-eight articles were included and typologically classified as applied, conceptual, and empirical. To deepen comparison, six focal cases were assessed in a five-criterion matrix. Three typical destination settings were presented and describe how frameworks are configured across contexts. The findings reflect a maturity scale, with empirical cases presenting a more comprehensive overview in relation to the criteria of the matrix. The discussion takes place through the identification of barriers and challenges of frameworks’ implementation and the introduction of two practical design levers, as an interpretive contribution, that are identified as mechanisms that go beyond the framework for upgrading the quality of implementation. The study contributes to the broader discussion on sustainable development and offers useful recommendations for future research in destination management.

Keywords: stakeholders; destination management; multi-stakeholder approaches; multi-stakeholder frameworks; destination planning; sustainable destinations; stakeholder cooperation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z3 Z30 Z31 Z32 Z33 Z38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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