Transformative and Regenerative Tourism for Public Health and Community Resilience

Tourism and public health are increasingly understood as interconnected policy domains shaped by social, cultural, environmental, economic, and governance conditions. Beyond employment and economic development, tourism can influence population health through cultural participation, social connection, physical activity, restorative experiences, access to nature, and community empowerment. However, it may also intensify inequalities, displacement, environmental degradation, overcrowding, insecure employment, and unequal access to health-promoting resources. Tourism mobility and destination development can generate further public health risks, including infectious disease transmission, increased alcohol availability and consumption in destinations where alcohol consumption is traditionally low, pressure on local health systems, and changes in health-related behaviors and social norms. Key questions therefore concern when and how tourism contributes to health and well-being, which communities benefit, who may be excluded, what risks may arise, and how adverse effects can be prevented or mitigated. Emerging research on transformative tourism highlights changes in values, identities, capabilities, health-related behaviours, and social relationships, while regenerative tourism focuses on strengthening the capacity of destinations and communities to flourish. Nevertheless, evidence remains fragmented across tourism studies, public health, planning, social policy, environmental health, and community development. Further investigation is needed to evaluate health outcomes and risks, identify effective governance mechanisms, and translate interdisciplinary evidence into equitable public health policy.This Research Topic aims to examine how transformative and regenerative tourism can advance community well-being, health equity, social resilience, and sustainable development while addressing associated public health risks and unintended consequences. It welcomes place-based and interdisciplinary research on the relationship between tourism and health, including comparative, participatory, mixed-methods, longitudinal, and evaluation-based studies.To gather further insights into these policy, governance, and public health dimensions, contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes are welcome:o Transformative and regenerative tourism as a strategy for health promotion, community well-being, and social resilience.o Cultural participation, social connection, mental health, healthy lifestyles, and restorative experiences.o Health equity, social inclusion, and the distribution of tourism-related benefits and risks.o Community participation, empowerment, and inclusive destination governance.o Tourism mobility, infectious disease transmission, alcohol-related harms, and destination health security.o Unintended health consequences of destination development, including pressure on local health systems.o Tourism, the social economy, environmental health, climate resilience, and healthy destinations.o Digital innovation, artificial intelligence, and public health-oriented tourism planning.o Cross-sectoral policy approaches linking tourism, health, social care, culture, environment, and regional development.o Monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment of tourism-related health interventions.o Evidence-based policy, regulation, and governance for healthy and resilient communities. Topic editors: Li Cheng, Shujuan Yang Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/87412/transformative-and-regenerative-tourism-for-public-health-and-community-resilience