A DPSIR Model for the Tourism Sector Sustainability – Case Study Albania and Latvia

Edmira Cakrani – Canadian Institute of Technology, Faculty of Economy, Xhanfize Keko Street 12, 1040, Tirana, Albania

Dzintra Atstaja – Rīga Stradiņš University, Dzirciema iela 16, Kurzemes rajons, Rīga, LV-1007, Latvia

Abstract: Albania and Latvia are regarded as emerging travel destinations. Each year, both countries welcome many tourists, which greatly boosts employ­ment and economic growth. However, these countries now face a greater dan­ger of environmental contamination and unsustainable resource use due to the rapid growth of their tourism industries. The sector’s environmental issues may make it more difficult to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particu­larly Goals 6, 7, and 12. Today, the focus is on the ecologization of the tourism in­dustry to address these issues. This allows for the development of industry sus­tainably and the adaptation of profitable, sustainable, and ethical practices to strike a balance between the expansion of tourism and environmental preserva­tion. This research paper aims to evaluate the ecologization of the tourism sector in Latvia and Albania. The environmental impact of this industry is analyzed us­ing the Driver – Pressure – State – Impact – Response framework. The European Environment Agency has developed this approach to address environmental is­sues, measure environmental conditions, assess the impact of the tourism indus­try on the environment, and identify the elements contributing to environmen­tal problems. This can support the development and application of policies that promote sustainability and ecologization in the tourism sector of both countries. This paper complements the literature on the tourism sector’s sustainability.

8th International Scientific Conference – EMAN 2024 – Economics and Management: How to Cope With Disrupted Times, Rome, Italy, March 21, 2024, CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS, published by: Association of Economists and Managers of the Balkans, Belgrade, Serbia; ISBN 978-86-80194-83-7, ISSN 2683-4510, DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/EMAN.2024

Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission. 

REFERENCES

EEA. (2021). Municipal Waste Management in Western Balkan Countries – Country Profile Al­bania. November. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/countries/cooperating-countries/albania 

EEA. (2023). Bathing water country factsheet – Albania. June. https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/countries/cooperating-countries/albania  

Eurostat. (n.d.). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat

Gössling, S., Peeters, P., Ceron, J. P., Patterson, T., & Richardson, R. B. (2005). The Eco-Efficiency of Tourism. Ecological Economics, 54: 417-434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.10.006 

He, X., Cai, C., & Shi, J. (2023). Evaluation of Tourism Ecological Security and Its Driving Mechanism in the Yellow River Basin, China: Based on Open Systems Theory and DP­SIR Model. Systems, 11, 336. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11070336 

Lu, F., Ren, H., & Zhai, X. (2023). Dynamic Evolution characteristics and driving factors of tourism ecosystem health in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 11:1127980. https://doi.org/10.3389%2Ffpubh.2023.1127980  

Mandić, A. (2020). Structuring challenges of sustainable tourism development in protected natural areas with driving force–pressure–state–impact–response (DPSIR) framework,” Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 40(4): 560-576. http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10669-020-09759-y  

Mulyawati, L. S., Adrianto, L., Soewandi, K., & Susanto, H. A. (2020). Factors of Coastal Tourism Management with DPSIR Analysis. Case Study: Tanjung Lesung Special Eco­nomic Zone Pandeglang Regency, Banten Province. Journal of Economic and Social of Fisheries and Marine. 08(01): 123-137. e-SSN: 2528-5939. http://dx.doi.org/10.21776/ub.ecsofim.2020.008.01.10 

Our World in Data. (n.d.). https://ourworldindata.org/

Pivčević, S., Petrić, L., & Mandić, A. (2020). Sustainability of Tourism Development in the Mediterranean—Interregional Similarities and Differences”. Sustainability, 12, 7641. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187641 

Raj Sharma, V., & Bisht, K. (2019). Carrying Capacity Assessment and Sustainable Tourism Management in Agra City, Uttar Pradesh. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 25(2): 399–407. https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.25211-369 

Sobhani, P., Esmaeilzadeh, H., Wolf, I. D., Deljouei, A., Marcu, M. V., & Sadeghi, S. M. M. (2023). Evaluating the ecological security of ecotourism in protected area based on the DP­SIR model. Ecological Indicators, 155, 110957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110957 

Swangjang, K., & Kornpiphat, P. (2021). Does ecotourism in a Mangrove area at Klong Kone, Thailand, conform to sustainable tourism? A case study using SWOT and DPSIR. En­vironment, Development and Sustainability, 23, 15960–15985. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01313-3 

World Bank. (n.d.). World development indicators. https://databank.worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators  

Zovko, M., Melkić, S., & Vukadin, I. M. (2021). Application of the DPSIR framework to assess environmental issues with an emphasis on waste management driven by stationary tour­ism in Adriatic Croatia. Geoadria, 26(1): 83-106. https://hrcak.srce.hr/clanak/373923