OurSCARA: Awareness-Based Recommendation Services for Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism has emerged as a critical concern in contemporary society due to its potential to mitigate negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts associated with traditional tourism practices. In this context, recommendation systems (RS) are crucial in shaping travelers’ choices toward sustainable options. This research article proposes an innovative approach to RS tailored for sustainable tourism, termed Sustainability and Cultural Awareness-based Recommendation Algorithm (OurSCARA). OurSCARA integrates awareness of environmental and socio-cultural factors (sustainability attributes) into the recommendation process to facilitate informed decision-making by travelers. The system leverages data analytics techniques, including sentiment analysis, user profiling, and collaborative filtering (CF), to personalize recommendations based on users’ preferences, sustainability preferences, and contextual factors. Furthermore, OurSCARA incorporates real-time data sources such as weather conditions, local events, and community initiatives to enhance the relevance and timeliness of recommendations. A prototype implementation of OurSCARA is presented, along with a comprehensive evaluation framework to assess its effectiveness in promoting sustainable tourism behaviors. Through empirical evaluation using datasets collected from TripAdivsor, we demonstrate the potential of OurSCARA to influence traveler behavior towards more sustainable choices while enhancing their overall tourism experience. The findings underscore the significance of integrating sustainability considerations into RS and pave the way for future research and development in this emerging area at the intersection of computer science and sustainable tourism.