Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Assistant Professor. ‏Tourism Geography, Department of Geography and Tourism Planning, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
2
Department of Tourism, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
10.22080/jtpd.2026.31299.4084
Abstract
Background and Objectives: This study aims to develop an integrated conceptual framework and formulate a future research agenda by exploring the interlinkages between smart governance and sustainable transformative change. The objective is to address knowledge gaps and respond to unsustainable trends in coastal tourism destinations.
Methodology: The research adopted a scoping review design. A systematic search was conducted in January 2026 in the Scopus database, yielding 6,587 initial records from 2010 to 2025. Following the PRISMA (2020) protocol, 75 articles were selected for inductive qualitative content analysis.
Findings: Qualitative content analysis led to the extraction of three main categories—smart and data-driven governance, systemic and sustainable transformative change, and coastal ecosystem regeneration—along with eight sub-categories and 45 basic codes. The study showed that the interconnectedness of these categories can be effectively presented through a coherent conceptual framework and associated key propositions.
Conclusion and Recommendations: The proposed framework integrating smart governance and sustainable transformative change provides a solid foundation for governance and policymaking in coastal tourism destinations and for shaping future research agendas. Practically, it recommends participatory and data-driven governance, smart infrastructure development, data-informed decision-making, institutionalizing systemic transformation, strengthening innovation and adaptive learning, value co-creation for a circular tourism economy, integrated regeneration of coastal ecosystem assets, and enhancing destination resilience through adaptive market-product dynamics.
Innovation and Originality: The theoretical contribution lies in advancing smart governance from a technology-centric approach to an institutional-ecological transformative perspective, shifting from sustainability toward regeneration within the proposed conceptual framework and its interactive cycle.
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