Hüttenland as an Embedded Tourism Platform: Local Networks and Emergent Sustainability

This paper examines Hüttenland as an example of an embedded tourism platform rooted in local networks, community relationships, and landscape-specific practices. Drawing upon theories of embeddedness and sustainability transitions, the article argues that sustainability may emerge not only through deliberate strategic planning but also through social, economic, cultural, and ecological relations embedded within local communities. Based on a document analysis of the platform’s public communication and self-representation, the study introduces the concept of emergent sustainability and explores its relevance for alternative tourism models that prioritise local identity, community participation, and ecological stewardship overgrowth-oriented platform logics.