Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts

Travel and tourism are essential to global economies, generating social, economic, and environmental impacts. However, there is a lack of standardized methodologies to assess the environmental footprint of tourist destinations beyond carbon footprint analysis. This study introduces the Greentour too...

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Authors: Campos Herrero, Cristina, Dias, Ana, Gallego, María, Gutiérrez, David, Quinteiro, Paula, Villanueva-Rey, Pedro, Oliveira, Sara, Albertí, Jaume, Bala Gala, Alba, Fullana-i-Palmer, Pere, Fullana-Puig, Margalida, Melón, Lela, Sazdovski, Ilija, Rodríguez Fernández-Arroyo, Eduardo, Roca, Mercè, Xifré, Ramon, Laso Cortabitarte, Jara, Margallo Blanco, María, ALDACO GARCIA, RUBEN
Format: article
Publication Date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Ramon Llull (URL)
Repository:DAU Arxiu Digital de la Universitat Ramon Llull
OAI Identifier:oai:dau.url.edu:20.500.14342/5279
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/5279
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083476
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Life cycle assessment (LCA)
Environmental impacts
Environmental footprint
Tourist destinations
Sustainable tourism
Environmental tool
Anàlisi del cicle de vida
Medi ambient--Anàlisi d'impacte
Turisme sostenible
338
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spelling Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental ImpactsCampos Herrero, CristinaDias, AnaGallego, MaríaGutiérrez, DavidQuinteiro, PaulaVillanueva-Rey, PedroOliveira, SaraAlbertí, JaumeBala Gala, AlbaFullana-i-Palmer, PereFullana-Puig, MargalidaMelón, LelaSazdovski, Ilija Rodríguez Fernández-Arroyo, EduardoRoca, MercèXifré, RamonLaso Cortabitarte, JaraMargallo Blanco, MaríaALDACO GARCIA, RUBENLife cycle assessment (LCA)Environmental impactsEnvironmental footprintTourist destinationsSustainable tourismEnvironmental toolAnàlisi del cicle de vidaMedi ambient--Anàlisi d'impacteTurisme sostenible338Travel and tourism are essential to global economies, generating social, economic, and environmental impacts. However, there is a lack of standardized methodologies to assess the environmental footprint of tourist destinations beyond carbon footprint analysis. This study introduces the Greentour tool, the first of its kind to evaluate the environmental impact of accommodation, restaurants, and tourism activities using nine environmental indicators from a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective. The tool applies a hybrid bottom-up and top-down approach, integrating data from tourist establishments and destination managers. The tool was tested in four tourist destinations in Spain and Portugal (Rías Baixas, Camino Lebaniego, Lloret de Mar, and Guimarães), revealing that transportation is the primary contributor to environmental impacts, ranging from 60% to 96% of total emissions, particularly in air-travel-dependent destinations. Food and beverage services are the second-largest contributor, accounting for up to 26% of emissions, while accommodation ranks third (1–14%). This study highlights the significant role of electricity consumption and food choices (e.g., red meat and dairy) in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, emphasizing the need for sustainable alternatives. Despite challenges in data collection, particularly for food and transport statistics, the Greentour tool has demonstrated robustness and adaptability across diverse destinations, making it applicable worldwide. This tool provides key insights for policymakers, tourism stakeholders, and businesses, supporting the integration of sustainability strategies into public policies and industry best practices. Future research should focus on expanding its use to additional destinations to foster science-based decision-making and promote more sustainable tourism practices globally.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionMDPIUniversitat Ramon Llull. IQS202520252025info:eu-repo/semantics/articlep.31application/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/5279https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083476reponame:DAU Arxiu Digital de la Universitat Ramon Llullinstname:Universitat Ramon Llull (URL)InglésSustainability 2025, 17(8)© L'autor/aAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:dau.url.edu:20.500.14342/52792026-06-21T06:40:37Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
title Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
spellingShingle Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
Campos Herrero, Cristina
Life cycle assessment (LCA)
Environmental impacts
Environmental footprint
Tourist destinations
Sustainable tourism
Environmental tool
Anàlisi del cicle de vida
Medi ambient--Anàlisi d'impacte
Turisme sostenible
338
title_short Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
title_full Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
title_fullStr Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
title_full_unstemmed Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
title_sort Tool for Greener Tourism: Evaluating Environmental Impacts
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Campos Herrero, Cristina
Dias, Ana
Gallego, María
Gutiérrez, David
Quinteiro, Paula
Villanueva-Rey, Pedro
Oliveira, Sara
Albertí, Jaume
Bala Gala, Alba
Fullana-i-Palmer, Pere
Fullana-Puig, Margalida
Melón, Lela
Sazdovski, Ilija
Rodríguez Fernández-Arroyo, Eduardo
Roca, Mercè
Xifré, Ramon
Laso Cortabitarte, Jara
Margallo Blanco, María
ALDACO GARCIA, RUBEN
author Campos Herrero, Cristina
author_facet Campos Herrero, Cristina
Dias, Ana
Gallego, María
Gutiérrez, David
Quinteiro, Paula
Villanueva-Rey, Pedro
Oliveira, Sara
Albertí, Jaume
Bala Gala, Alba
Fullana-i-Palmer, Pere
Fullana-Puig, Margalida
Melón, Lela
Sazdovski, Ilija
Rodríguez Fernández-Arroyo, Eduardo
Roca, Mercè
Xifré, Ramon
Laso Cortabitarte, Jara
Margallo Blanco, María
ALDACO GARCIA, RUBEN
author_role author
author2 Dias, Ana
Gallego, María
Gutiérrez, David
Quinteiro, Paula
Villanueva-Rey, Pedro
Oliveira, Sara
Albertí, Jaume
Bala Gala, Alba
Fullana-i-Palmer, Pere
Fullana-Puig, Margalida
Melón, Lela
Sazdovski, Ilija
Rodríguez Fernández-Arroyo, Eduardo
Roca, Mercè
Xifré, Ramon
Laso Cortabitarte, Jara
Margallo Blanco, María
ALDACO GARCIA, RUBEN
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universitat Ramon Llull. IQS
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Life cycle assessment (LCA)
Environmental impacts
Environmental footprint
Tourist destinations
Sustainable tourism
Environmental tool
Anàlisi del cicle de vida
Medi ambient--Anàlisi d'impacte
Turisme sostenible
338
topic Life cycle assessment (LCA)
Environmental impacts
Environmental footprint
Tourist destinations
Sustainable tourism
Environmental tool
Anàlisi del cicle de vida
Medi ambient--Anàlisi d'impacte
Turisme sostenible
338
description Travel and tourism are essential to global economies, generating social, economic, and environmental impacts. However, there is a lack of standardized methodologies to assess the environmental footprint of tourist destinations beyond carbon footprint analysis. This study introduces the Greentour tool, the first of its kind to evaluate the environmental impact of accommodation, restaurants, and tourism activities using nine environmental indicators from a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective. The tool applies a hybrid bottom-up and top-down approach, integrating data from tourist establishments and destination managers. The tool was tested in four tourist destinations in Spain and Portugal (Rías Baixas, Camino Lebaniego, Lloret de Mar, and Guimarães), revealing that transportation is the primary contributor to environmental impacts, ranging from 60% to 96% of total emissions, particularly in air-travel-dependent destinations. Food and beverage services are the second-largest contributor, accounting for up to 26% of emissions, while accommodation ranks third (1–14%). This study highlights the significant role of electricity consumption and food choices (e.g., red meat and dairy) in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, emphasizing the need for sustainable alternatives. Despite challenges in data collection, particularly for food and transport statistics, the Greentour tool has demonstrated robustness and adaptability across diverse destinations, making it applicable worldwide. This tool provides key insights for policymakers, tourism stakeholders, and businesses, supporting the integration of sustainability strategies into public policies and industry best practices. Future research should focus on expanding its use to additional destinations to foster science-based decision-making and promote more sustainable tourism practices globally.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025
2025
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/5279
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083476
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14342/5279
https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083476
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Sustainability 2025, 17(8)
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv © L'autor/a
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv © L'autor/a
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv p.31
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DAU Arxiu Digital de la Universitat Ramon Llull
instname:Universitat Ramon Llull (URL)
instname_str Universitat Ramon Llull (URL)
reponame_str DAU Arxiu Digital de la Universitat Ramon Llull
collection DAU Arxiu Digital de la Universitat Ramon Llull
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,812455

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