This study investigates the impacts of economic, social and environmental sustainability practices of companies in the hospitality supply chain on consumers' satisfaction, loyalty and willingness to pay higher prices. Utilising data collected from 288 tourists visiting south Sardinia, the study indicates that while economic sustainability practices have positive impacts on consumers' satisfaction, loyalty and willingness to pay a premium, sustainability practices related to environmental and social dimensions have a direct positive impact on satisfaction and an indirect positive impact on consumer loyalty and willingness to pay a premium. Additionally, findings reveal that satisfaction is likely to mediate the impact of environmental and social sustainability practices on the loyalty of consumers. The theoretical and managerial implications of the study are provided.

The European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS) is a product of the European Union (EU) Sustainable Development Strategy, which was formulated with the objectives of promoting economic prosperity, social equity, cohesion, and environmental protection. In this paper, we present an analysis of the results of the implementation of the ETIS during the period 2013–2016, in the Italian tourist destination of South Sardinia. While the implementation of ETIS constitutes a significant advancement in Italy, and more widely in Europe, our findings reveal that an adaptive management approach is necessary for achieving the anticipated objectives and adapting these standardized indicators to different territorial contexts. Difficulties were encountered in both data collection and stakeholders’ involvement in the implementation process. Insufficient knowledge, and familiarity with the complex technical aspects of the indicator toolkit among primary stakeholders, was another constraint associated with its implementation. We believe that the findings of this analysis can provide guidelines and inputs for other European countries and tourist destinations that are currently in the process of implementing the ETIS toolkit or similar methodologies. In particular, the pioneering sustainable tourism performance measurement system (STPMS) can be adapted to meet local needs.

To make sustainable tourism a more concrete and operational concept, many sets of indicators have been proposed by both academics and policy makers. Among the latter, the European Tourism Indicator System (ETIS) was launched by the European Commission to monitor tourist destinations at a subnational level. To evaluate the social impact of tourism, the ETIS recommended the administration of a proposed questionnaire to the local residents. We conducted the survey administration of the ETIS questionnaire in an Italian seaside resort. In this paper, we report the main outcomes of the survey and propose their interpretation within the context of some of the theoretical frameworks described in the academic literature referring to the relationship between tourism and host communities.

This concluding chapter discusses the challenges and issues in island tourism and summarizes the contributions of the book across its four main parts: (1) sustainable island tourism; (2) competitiveness and quality of life; (3) sustainability and alternative resource use; and (4) challenges and future research directions.

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