Harmonizing sustainability and resilience in post-crisis cultural tourism: Stakeholder insights from the Split metropolitan area living lab

This study uses the Split Metropolitan Area as a case study to explore the intersection of sustainability and resilience within cultural tourism, specifically through the lens of Living Labs (LL). Through qualitative research involving stakeholder focus groups, this study investigates how cultural tourism can adapt and thrive in post-crisis recovery scenarios. The research highlights the complexities of stakeholder collaboration in aligning sustainability and resilience goals, revealing both gaps in theoretical frameworks and practical implementation challenges. Key findings emphasize the potential of LLs to facilitate value co-creation among stakeholders, offering a platform for public-private-community partnerships that support sustainable tourism development. Furthermore, the study underlines the need for context-specific policies and low-volume, high-yield tourism models that preserve cultural authenticity while fostering local economic growth. The results demonstrate how innovative frameworks like LLs can lead to more resilient and sustainable cultural tourism strategies in the wake of global crises. • Explored how Living Labs foster stakeholder co-creation in post-crisis tourism. • Integrated sustainability and resilience in cultural tourism development. • Revealed theory-practice gaps in managing sustainable, resilient tourism. • Proposed actionable strategies via public-private-community partnerships. • Emphasized context-specific policies to enhance cultural authenticity and growth.