Tourism remains one of the world's fastest-growing economic sectors, yet its environmentalfootprint and governance deficits remain insufficiently measured and managed. This articleaddresses a persistent gap in the sustainability literature: the absence of a comprehensive, multilevel ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) indicator system specifically calibrated fortourism in developing economies. Drawing on stratified field research covering 45 hotels acrossfour Uzbek UNESCO World Heritage cities (Bukhara 14, Samarkand 12, Tashkent 11, Khiva 8),a survey of 247 international and domestic tourists, and 18 expert interviews conducted via theDelphi method, a three-level indicator framework is developed and empirically validated. Microlevel baseline data from the 2024 field audit — including an average renewable energy share of11.4%, local staff ratio of 53.2%, and GSI of 67.4/100 — establish the empirical gap againstSMART-compliant target values. Regional and national baseline data (e.g., regional carbonintensity ~148 kg CO₂/tourist vs. target ≤80; national ESG tourism strategy score 42/100 vs. target≥70) quantify the development reserves at each governance level. The gender equality index forregional tourism (baseline ~0.47 vs. target ≥0.90) is identified as the largest Social componentdeficit, followed by community stakeholder participation (~8.6% vs. target ≥30%). The article'sprincipal contribution is the first complete, three-level, SMART-compliant ESG indicatortaxonomy for Uzbekistan's tourism sector with empirically grounded baseline values at each level,internationally benchmarked 2030 targets, and an actionable implementation architecture.
| Mualliflar | Maxmudova, Nodira |
|---|---|
| Jurnal | Иқтисодиёт ва туризм |
| Nashr sanasi | 2026-04-17 |
| Jild | 2 |
| Son | 28 |
| Til | Ingliz |
micro-level, regional tourism
This paper compares Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Hungary andUzbekistan—two transition economies with contrasting paths and geopolitical contexts. Hungary,an EU member since 2004, has become a mature FDI hub with…
This article examines the characteristics of financially independent higher educationinstitutions as competitive actors within the higher education system. The theoretical foundationsof financial autonomy, global…
This article comprehensively analyzes the formation, institutional foundations andevolutionary development stages of the concept of free economic zones (FEZ) in the regionaleconomy based on theoretical and empirical…
Independent tourism, widely recognized as Free Independent Travel (FIT), has become oneof the most dynamically growing segments of the global tourism industry. Rapid advancements indigital technology, the proliferation…
This study presents an innovative ecological monitoring model using GoogleEarth Engine (GEE) to support sustainable tourism development in the historical cities ofUzbekistan. By integrating remote sensing data from…
The integration of digital technologies into the tourism sector is fundamentally reshapingdestination competitiveness worldwide. Multilingual tourism route recommendation web systemscreate new strategic opportunities…
This article examines the concept of green tourism and its role in sustainabledevelopment, focusing on Generation Z’s attitudes toward green tourism services. The study isbased on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)…
This article examines the conceptual foundations for enhancing the exportpotential of regions, including its formation stages and development trends. The study exploresthe economic essence of export potential from the…
The entrepreneurial activity of persons with disabilities constitutes one of the criticaldimensions of contemporary economic policy, playing a decisive role in ensuring the economicand social integration of this…
Regional development assessment remains one of the most complex and contestedmethodological challenges in economic science. Traditional approaches relying predominantly onsingle-indicator measures such as gross regional…