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Purpose: This paper aims to explore sustainable tourism in Europe in economic, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions as well as discuss key challenges and necessary steps to be taken by the national tourism organisations. Design/methodology/approach: The author takes a look at the evolution and importance of sustainable development for the travel and tourism industry today. Findings: Last year Europe reached another record of international tourist arrivals, resulting in a 6 per cent increase on the previous year's performance. Factors that contributed to this development include the recovery of major source markets, marketing efforts in promoting travel offseason as well as themed promotional activities in third markets. However, the European tourism industry is facing increasing challenges, in particular, those related to the quest between sustainable practices and the need for increasing competitiveness as a global destination. Originality/value: This paper provides a current view of how sustainable tourism in Europe became a key global challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cities are key actors in the fight against climate change. They have developed integrated strategies harnessing the power of information and communication technologies (ICT) as part of the move towards smart(er) cities. In spite of our knowledge of the role of technological infrastructure in tackling climate change, the role of governance mechanisms to actively pursue environmental sustainability is often understated. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse governmentality mechanisms developed by a small town in Europe to render energy savings and new energy sources visible and to create new identities with which the citizen and other cities could then identify with, thereby participating in the fight against climate change. Design/methodology/approach: Data were gathered through non-participant observation, interviews and access to internal data from the city's energy control project. Findings: The outcome of these governmentality mechanisms was to create two new identities: the "good citizen", responsible to lower his impact on climate change, and the "model city", a laboratory that would serve as a guide for future policies to tackle climate change at the city level. While the "model city" was successful and identification happened with other small cities taking example from it, the "good citizen" failed and inhabitants did not identify with this role model that was defined for them as a way to participate in the fight against climate change. Practical implications: This case study is a concrete example, based on a longitudinal study, of a city's strategy and actions on climate change. Other small cities will be able to use this case study to gauge their possibilities for action on climate change. Notably, it is an example of how a network of mechanisms can achieve results in CO2 emissions reduction. It also demonstrates the difficulty to enrol citizens into an environmental sustainability scheme. Social implications: This paper has implications for how climate change can be tackled in rural areas by small cities. While the role of organizations and large cities (e.g. C40 city network) has been acknowledged, there is a possibility for smaller local actors to act upon grand challenges with local strategies and their own governmentality mechanisms. Originality/value: The case study contributes to the literature on cities, bringing new insights into how they can become actors of climate change beyond acting on internal controls, and the literature on governmentality by demonstrating how mechanisms can act upon a population without being calculative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper deals with the experiences of three European universities that have implemented transition initiatives, using the Transition Network’s methodology to promote their sustainability plans. The Transition Communities’ model for change is presented from a socio-educational perspective as an effective methodology for encouraging university environmental sustainability processes. In this context, the purpose of this paper was to analyze Transition Communities at universities using an environmental–educational approach in three different scenarios: the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC), the University of Edinburgh (UEd) and the Universidade do Minho (UMinho).Design/methodology/approach The authors engaged in a comparative analysis of multiple case studies in the Transition “phenomenon”, looking for convergences and divergences among them.Findings The comparative analysis revealed three very different scenarios, which ironically shared an absence of explicit theoretical–methodological references in the design, execution and evaluation of the educational actions that were implemented. Examination of the impact and continuity of these initiatives uncovered the existence of a “glass ceiling” in university environmental sustainability strategies. Even the innovative Transition methodology was unable to subvert the established academic, corporate, organizational and cultural structures and dynamics that perpetuate unsustainability.Originality/value This study was carried out from an innovative perspective with few precedents in the Transition context. The authors’ educational–environmental approach provides insight for articulating educational strategies for environmental sustainability at universities and for constructing a Transition model for education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]