Democratising Blue Tourism Governance: A Systematic Review of Institutional Capacity, Platform Power, and Social Legitimacy

Abstract

Blue tourism has become a central pillar of blue economy strategies, yet the governance foundations required to support this expansion remain weakly theorised in tourism management research. This study reframes blue tourism as a governance regime shaped by institutional capacity, platform power, and social legitimacy. Drawing on a systematic review and critical interpretive synthesis of 562 peer-reviewed journal articles, the paper examines how blue tourism has been conceptualised and managed across the literature. Bibliometric and qualitative analyses reveal a persistent imbalance: while demonstrating strong engagement with environmental management and destination optimisation, the literature marginalises governance capacity, distributive outcomes, and community consent. Furthermore, there is epistemic asymmetry between regions that dominate theoretical influence and those experiencing the most acute coastal tourism pressures. The study advances a governance-centred framework that helps destination managers, DMOs, and regulators anticipate legitimacy risks and align blue tourism development with institutional capacity under intensifying climate and capital pressures.