Environmental regulations, a challenge for tourism (Original)

Abstract

Tourism, as a driving force of the economy, is not far from following the regulations that prevail to protect the environment. The adaptation of the tourism sector to a set of regulations that can impact its operation is an essential aspect to contribute to sustainable development. This research was carried out with the objective of describing how environmental regulations represent a challenge for the development of tourism. The PRISMA2020 methodology was used and a thorough search of bibliographic references indexed in the Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), Dialnet, Scielo and Google Scholar databases was carried out. Key terms related to environmental regulations from international, national and regional legislation and terms related to the challenges for tourism of these environmental regulations were used, from the economic, operational or demand impact.  Studies published in the last 5 years, in Spanish and English, were considered. The results demonstrated the significant impact of environmental regulations on tourism, experiences and motivations of tourists and tourism workers in relation to the issues raised in the literature consulted. It concludes by pointing out that the impacts of regulations are of vital importance to develop true sustainable tourism