Living Labs as Governance Mechanisms for Sustainable Tourism Monitoring: Evidence From Six European Destinations

ABSTRACT This study examines the role of Living Labs in advancing sustainable tourism governance across six European destinations: the Rotterdam Metropolitan Region (the Netherlands), the Scheldeland Region (Belgium), Utsjoki municipality (Finland), Huesca province (Spain), the Split metropolitan area (Croatia), and Vicenza (Italy). Using a pragmatic mixed‐method design grounded in implementation science, the study investigates the development and initial validation of a sustainability monitoring framework tailored to local tourism contexts. The findings show that Living Labs can facilitate knowledge exchange, stakeholder collaboration, and experimentation with sustainability‐oriented policy solutions. However, significant challenges emerge in applying standardized monitoring frameworks across diverse institutional and territorial settings. The results highlight the need for flexible, context‐sensitive indicator systems that balance analytical rigor with local specificity. By linking sustainability monitoring with participatory governance, the study proposes an adaptable model for evidence‐informed tourism policymaking at the destination level.