Case study explores how businesses in Ílhavo promote sustainability in tourism, highlighting digital communication's role in addressing environmental and sociocultural impacts.
Summary This case study explores digital sustainability communication in tourism, in the coastal villages of Praia da Barra and Costa Nova, Ílhavo, Aveiro region, Portugal. It examines how local businesses, associations and the municipality communicate their sustainability practices using digital tools. The research highlights the significance of sustainable coastal and maritime tourism that requires a balanced integration of environmental, economic, institutional and sociocultural dimensions. Employing a qualitative research design, digital contents from nine organisations with reference to their sustainability practices were analysed using WebQDA software. Findings reveal that sociocultural sustainability is the most frequently communicated dimension, followed by institutional and environmental dimensions, while economic sustainability receives the least attention. Organizations are actively collaborating to promote sustainable tourism initiatives, water-based recreational activities and environmental awareness programmes. The study underscores the significance of coherent and authentic digital communication to avoid greenwashing and enhance sustainable destination branding. Strengthening digital sustainability communication by demonstrating concrete actions and fostering broader stakeholder engagement are highly recommended. Furthermore, the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of best practices in digital sustainability communication and offer solutions for improving sustainable tourism management of digital communication in coastal areas.
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Araújo et al. (2025) studied this question.
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