A narrative review linking responsible tourism practices to sustainable tourism development through governance and stakeholder collaboration

Purpose This paper critically synthesises and compares the literature on Responsible Tourism Practices (RTP) and Sustainable Tourism Development (STD), examining their interrelationships, governance challenges, contextual variation in outcomes, and emerging innovations. Design/methodology/approach A narrative review of studies published between 2007 and April 2026 (final analytical corpus: 68 sources) was conducted using Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Emerald Insight, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, Sage, and Google Scholar. The literature was analysed through thematic and interpretive synthesis using Stakeholder Theory, the Triple Bottom Line, and Systems Theory, applied as an integrated rather than additive analytical lens. Findings RTPs are associated with environmental conservation, socio-cultural well-being, and inclusive economic development; however, these outcomes are not uniform and depend on governance quality, stakeholder power relations, and institutional capacity, so that similar practices are associated with divergent results across destinations. The review identifies implementation trade-offs, research gaps, and emerging opportunities through digital transformation, regenerative tourism, and collaborative governance. Originality The study proposes an integrated conceptual framework linking RTP, governance as a mediating mechanism, implementation drivers and barriers, emerging innovations, and sustainable tourism development.