Regenerative service in tourism and recreation: a paradigm shift toward systemic territorial renewal

Abstract

The article substantiates the theoretical and methodological foundations of regenerative service in tourism and recreation as an advanced paradigm that transcends conventional sustainability frameworks. While sustainable tourism focuses primarily on minimizing environmental damage and improving efficiency, regenerative service aims at restoring ecosystems, revitalizing local communities and strengthening territorial resilience through net-positive socio-ecological impact. The study conceptualizes regenerative service as an integrated socio-economic model embedded in ecosystem logic and co-creation processes. Special attention is devoted to the transformation of hospitality enterprises into active agents of ecological restoration, cultural revitalization and inclusive economic development. The paper develops a systemic interpretation of regenerative recreation, outlines governance preconditions and proposes an analytical lens for evaluating regenerative outcomes at destination level. The findings confirm that regenerative service represents not a marketing modification of sustainability but a structural reconfiguration of tourism development philosophy based on renewal, reciprocity and long-term adaptive capacity