Global Challenges to achieve Sustainability in Marketing Implications for Marketing Theory

Sustainability marketing is a provocative area of research. Through an integrated knowledge inquiry approach, the conceptual article aims to provide answers to the feasibility of a joint application of sustainability and marketing and a blueprint for future sustainability marketing studies and practices. Five issues of the credibility and ambiguity of sustainability marketing are addressed—namely, the controversial debate between the incompatibility of marketing and sustainability, what sustainability offers marketing, what marketing offers sustainability, the feasibility of adopting the sustainability concept in marketing, and sustainability marketing myopia. As an instance of Sustainability in marketing theory, tourism marketing has frequently faced criticism for its promotion of exploitative and hedonistic consumerism. The present article provides a concise overview of recent research on sustainable tourism marketing, with a focus on theories, methods, and outcomes that aim to elevate tourist destinations to not only better places to visit but also to live in. The article delves into two fundamental approaches in sustainability marketing: market development through market segmentation, and sustainable product development. It introduces a Special Issue of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism that is dedicated to sustainable marketing, offering insights into the motivations, mechanisms, and challenges those businesses face when pursuing sustainability goals and striving to positively influence consumer behavior. The article also highlights the methodologies employed in sustainable tourism marketing, which acknowledge the complexity and breadth of the subject and the numerous innovative practices that are being implemented