Abstract
The aim of this article is to present the concept of regenerative tourism in relation to sustainable tourism. The question is whether regenerative tourism is a new concept that takes account of the rapidly changing global tourism market environment, or whether it represents the next stage in the development of the idea of sustainable tourism? The article is theoretical in nature; a definition of regenerative tourism is proposed on the basis of a critical review of the literature. The practical contribution of the article concerns the analysis of strategic documents and practical actions undertaken by entities managing tourism development in Poland. A qualitative research method (multiple case study) was employed. The results indicate that the concept of regenerative tourism is actually being implemented in Poland, and it is the next stage in the development of the idea of sustainable tourism.
References
Ateljevic, I., & Sheldon, P. J. (2022). Guest editorial: Transformation and the regenerative future of tourism. Journal of Tourism Futures, 8(3), 266–268. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-09-2022-284
Bateman, I., & Turner, R. (1993). Valuation of the environment, methods and techniques: The contingent valuation method. In R.K. Turner (Ed.), Sustainable Environmental Economics and Management: Principles and Practice (pp. 120–191). Belhaven Press.
Ateljevic, I., & Sheldon, P. J. (2022). Guest editorial: Transformation and the regenerative future of tourism. Journal of Tourism Futures, 8(3), 266–268. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-09-2022-284
Bateman, I., & Turner, R. (1993). Valuation of the environment, methods and techniques: The contingent valuation method. In R.K. Turner (Ed.), Sustainable Environmental Economics and Management: Principles and Practice (pp. 120–191). Belhaven Press.
Becken, S., & Kaur, J. (2022). Anchoring “tourism value” within a regenerative tourism paradigm – A government perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 30(1), 52–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2021.1990305
Bellato, L., & Cheer, J. M. (2021). Inclusive and regenerative urban tourism: Capacity development perspectives. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 7(4), 943–961. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-08-2020-0167
Bellato, L., & Pollock, A. (2025). Regenerative tourism: A state-of-the-art review. Tourism Geographies, 27(3–4), 558–567. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2294366
Bellato, L., Frantzeskaki, N., & Nygaard, C. (2022). Regenerative tourism: A conceptual framework leveraging theory and practice. Tourism Geographies. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2022.2044376
Bradley, S. (2021). Thoughts on how New Zealand could progress as a more regenerative tourism host. Journal of Sustainability and Resilience, 1(1), 8. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jsr/vol1/iss1/8/
Buhalis, D., Leung, X. Y., Fan, D., Darcy, S., Chen, G., Xu, F., Tan, G. W.-H., Nunkoo, R., & Farmaki, A. (2023). Editorial: Tourism 2030 and the contribution to the sustainable development goals: The tourism review viewpoint. Tourism Review, 78(2), 293–313. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-04-2023-620
Butler, R. W. (2005). Developing the destination: Difficulties in achieving sustainability. In W. Alejziak & R. Winiarski (Ed.), Tourism in scientific research (pp. 33–46). Academy of Physical Education.
Byrd, E. T. (2007). Stakeholders in sustainable tourism development and their roles: Applying stakeholder theory to sustainable tourism development. Tourism Review, 62(2), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1108/16605370780000309
Cave, J., & Dredge, D. (2020). Regenerative tourism needs diverse economic practices. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1768434
Dredge, D. (2022). Regenerative tourism: Transforming mindsets, systems and practices. Journal of Tourism Futures, 8(3), 269–281. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-01-2022-0015
Duxbury, N., Bakas, F. E., Vinagre de Castro, T., & Silva, S. (2021). Creative tourism development models towards sustainable and regenerative tourism. Sustainability, 13(2), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010002
European Commission. (2023). EU funding project details. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/projects-details/43252476/101085456/SMP
Gerke, M., Adams, M., Ooi, C.-S., & Dahles, H. (2023). Entrepreneuring for regenerative tourism: Doing business differently in Tasmania’s regional hospitality industry. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 32(10), 2207–2224. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2023.2273757
GDS-Index. (2026). https://www.gds.earth/index/
Iddawala, J., & Lee, D. (2026). Regenerative tourism: Context and conceptualisations. Tourism Planning & Development, 23(2), 185–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568316.2025.2527614
Interreg Baltic Sea Region. (2026). Project REGENT. https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/regent/
Jęczmyk, A., Uglis, J., & Kozera-Kowalska, M. (2024). Regenerative agritourism: Embarking on an evolutionary path or going back to basics? Agriculture, 14(11), 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14112026
Kelly, L. (2016). The memory code. Allen & Unwin.
Luong, V. H., Manthiou, A., Kang, J., & Nguyen, C. (2023). The building blocks of regenerative tourism and hospitality: A text-mining approach. Current Issues in Tourism, 27(3), 361–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2023.2228974
Ministerstwo Sportu i Turystyki. (2026). Założenia do nowej strategii rozwoju turystyki w Polsce (materiały robocze i komunikaty prasowe, 2024–2025). https://www.gov.pl/web/sport (in Polish).
Niezgoda, A. (2024). Turystyka zrównoważona. Trendy, dyfuzja, ewaluacja. Poznań: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Poznaniu. (in Polish).
Niezgoda, A., Janczak, K., & Patelak, K. (2020). Ekspertyza na temat wytycznych zrównoważonej turystyki. Ministerstwo Rozwoju, Pracy i Technologii. https://www.gov.pl/web/sport/ekspertyza-na-temat-wytycznych-w-zakresie-zrownowazonej-turystyki2 (in Polish).
Niezgoda, A., & Żemła, M. (2025). Gentrification and deconcentration of tourist flows in European cities: Paradoxes of counterproductive solutions. In M. Gravari-Barbas & S. Guinand (Ed.), Handbook on tourism gentrification: Concepts, spaces, features (pp. 88–101). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035327355.00014
Owen, C. (2007). Regenerative tourism: A case study of the resort town Yulara. Open House International, 32(4), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-04-2007-B0005
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Podlaskie Regional Tourism Organization. (2025). Podsumowanie cyklu warsztatów dotyczących rozwoju zrównoważonej, regeneratywnej i odpornej turystyki w województwie podlaskim. https://podlaskie.it/aktualnosci/podsumowanie-cyklu-warsztatow-dotyczacych-rozwoju-zrownowazonej-regeneratywnej-i-odpornej-turystyki-w-wojewodztwie-podlaskim/ (in Polish).
Polish Tourism Organisation. (2025). Relacja z warsztatów regenerating Polish destinations: Sustainable tourism in action. https://www.pot.gov.pl/pl/pcb/news/relacja-z-warsztatow-regenerating-polish-destinations-sustainable-tourism-in-action-gdansk-20-marca-2025-2 (in Polish).
Polish Tourism Organisation. (2026a). Summary of the project cooperation innovation sustainable tourism. https://www.pot.gov.pl/en/poland-convention/news/summary-of-the-project-cooperation-innovation-sustainable-tourism-results-reports-and-future-challenges
Polish Tourism Organisation. (2026b). "Współpraca-Innowacje-Turystyka Zrównoważona" - konferencje 2023, 2024 https://www.pot.gov.pl/pl/wspolpraca-innowacje-turystyka-zrownowazona (in Polish).
Rehman, A. U., Abbas, M., Ahmad, A. F., & Khan, S. (2023). How tourist experience quality, perceived price reasonableness and regenerative tourism involvement influence tourist satisfaction: A study of Ha’il Region, Saudi Arabia. Sustainability, 15(2), 1340. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021340
Scott, N. R., & Le, D. A. (2017). Tourism experience: A review. In N. R. Scott & J. Gao (Ed.), Visitor experience design (2nd ed., pp. 30–52). CABI. https://doi.org/10.1080/10645578.2016.1144023
Sharma, B., & Tham, A. (2023). Regenerative tourism: Opportunities and challenges. Journal of Responsible Tourism Management, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.47263/JRTM.03-01-02
Sheller, M. (2021). Reconstructing tourism in the Caribbean: Connecting pandemic recovery, climate resilience and sustainable tourism through mobility justice. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(9), 1436–1449. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1791141
The Tourism Space. (2026). Circular economy and regenerative tourism. https://www.thetourismspace.com/circular-economy-regenerative-tourism
Timothy, D. J. (2002). Tourism and Community Development Issues. In R. Sharpley & D. J. Telfer. Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues (pp. 135–178). Toronto: Channel View Publications.
Zaman, U., Aktan, M., Agrusa, J., & Khwaja, M. G. (2022). Linking regenerative travel and residents’ support for tourism development in Kaua’i Island (Hawaii): Moderating-mediating effects of travel-shaming and foreign tourist attractiveness. Journal of Travel Research, 62(4), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875221098934

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Economics and Environment
