In recent years, the issue of sustainability research in tourism have emerged as a critical area for fostering the adaptation of the tourism sector to the new challenges of climate change, new forms of mobility, the enormous impact of ICTs, and the evolution mindsets and behavior of tourists. A particular challenge for university researchers is stepping down from theoretical approaches to go deeper to identify different ways of transferring best practices and learning from good examples. Various firms and destinations worldwide are becoming more environmentally friendly, socially responsible, incorporating best practices and certification procedures on a daily basis. The central theme of JSOD special issue is to present examples addressing the aforementioned approaches. The set of contributions presented is showing just a glimpse of the possible areas of research that can be applied to the core idea of this issue. To conclude, Bridging Theory and Practice have room for further improvement, and the gap between Academics and Practitioners should not be neglected. Moreover, local sustainability in action plans is needed; but also, how can the transition towards sustainable destinations be smoothed. Another challenge that remains ahead is promoting and leveraging the isolated practices to assert the importance of small sustainability practices.

Guest-Editors: Adão Flores, Jorge Andraz, Joaquim Pinto Contreiras, Elsa Pereira, Manuela Rosa and Paula Azevedo