The importance of social marketing in tourism: literature review

Abstract

Tourism is considered one of the greatest phenomena of the modern era and has a relevant role in the development of destinations. Despite its positive effects, tourism also has dire consequences at both the environmental and sociocultural levels. One of the causes for this situation stems from the unsustainable behaviour of the main stakeholders in this industry. It is, therefore, crucial to rethink these behaviours so as to mitigate their effects, in order for tourism to be a vehicle for the sustainable development of territories. Social marketing is one of the branches of marketing that can help change these behaviours. This article presents a literature review of the relationship between social marketing and tourism so as to explore how and to what extent social marketing has been studied in the field of tourism and how this relationship can contribute to reducing the negative impacts of tourism. It identifies gaps in knowledge in this area, as well as indicates the way for future research.