Mapping Structural Enabling Conditions for Regenerative Tourism Potential in Coastal Tourism Countries: A Comparative Indicator and Cluster Analysis

The transition from sustainable to regenerative tourism requires a fundamental shift in how destination success is measured and managed. While theoretical frameworks for regenerative tourism have proliferated, empirical assessments of the macro-structural conditions that enable or constrain these transitions remain scarce. This study addresses this gap by developing a multivariate indicator framework to map the structural enabling conditions for regenerative tourism potential across ten diverse coastal tourism countries. Using a hierarchical cluster analysis of seven Tier 1 indicators spanning economic yield, social equity, governance effectiveness, and environmental pressure, we identify three distinct exploratory typologies: (1) High-Capacity Systems with Environmental Tradeoffs, (2) Tourism-Intensive Systems with Transition Potential, and (3) High-Need Systems with Uneven Capacity. The results reveal that while high-capacity systems possess the institutional stability to pilot regenerative innovations, they are often constrained by high per-capita environmental footprints. Conversely, high-need systems demonstrate strong community-centric potential but face significant structural barriers related to governance and climate vulnerability. These findings suggest that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to regenerative tourism is insufficient. Instead, policy interventions must be tailored to the specific structural archetypes of destinations, moving beyond generic sustainability goals toward place-based, redistributive, and restorative stewardship.