Today, ST development is an important point of all development goals of numerous tourism subjects [18,19,20,21] and it includes a wide range of planning benefits for all interested parties in tourism [22,23,24]. The growth of this kind of tourism includes the establishment of travel companies aligned with ecological principles, the preservation of nature, and the development of specific tourism forms to preserve natural values, strengthening the role of the local community and creating economic profit without negative consequences for all participants in it [25,26,27,28]. The sustainability of tourism implies the improvement of existing capacities but in a high-quality way. This would mean that the expansion of the tourism sector must have ecological, economic, and sociocultural benefits [29], which cannot be planned without a clear role of the local community and tourists. Tourism consumption is a significant source of funds [30], and ST development involves minimizing planning, development, and control costs, and maximizing benefits (e.g., environmental, economic, and sociocultural). In addition, there is the involvement of the local community and the creation of positive experiences with tourists [31,32]. The paradigm of ST development includes economic, sociocultural, and ecological dimensions [33]. It is difficult to achieve a balance between these three classical dimensions of ST without the institutional dimension of sustainability, which describes the oversight, management, and facilitation of the growth of tourism [34,35].

Within the tourist market, nature-based and responsible tourism has the fastest development, because this type of tourist movement—returning to nature—is constantly increasing in the 21st century [36,37,38]. Eco-destinations, protected areas, maritime areas, nature parks, rural areas and ethnic villages, mountain lodges, and eco-resorts are increasingly the subject of tourist demand [39,40].

The ST generates numerous activities aimed at achieving different results, such as economic development, strengthening tourist consumption, improving awareness about the preservation of environmental resources, and applying numerous ethical principles [41,42]. Reducing the negative impacts of tourism is one of the primary objectives of environmentally responsible travel [43]. The results of certain research indicate that “responsible tourists” show a high level of understanding the concept of environmental protection, which is a basic criterion when choosing a tourist destination. Such tourists prefer all activities aimed at ST improvement in the destination [44].

Proper monitoring of tourism development in conservation areas can contribute to the tourist attendance rate, which further affects income from tourist consumption [45,46]. Precisely, part of such income can be directed to the ecological development of the destination, which is one of the basic objectives of ST improvement, as well as the determination of the function of preserved areas in the tourism offer.

In the research by Maksin et al. [47], Sanchez et al. [48], and Stojanović [15], the control of wastewater and exhaust gases, zoning, carrying capacity, limit of acceptable changes, planned construction of infrastructure, and other measures, are specified as significant for space protection. These pieces of research are based on the fact that tourism should be developed in a planned manner in all destinations, with special emphasis on preserved areas, where tourism development should be especially controlled, with a clearly defined role of residents, visitors, and stakeholders.

Tourism growth in preserved areas is affected by various elements like the preservation of the area, the level of space utilization, occupancy capacities, the role of the locals, sociocultural variables, the tourism influence on the community’s economy, trash management, growth control, etc. [29,40,49,50,51,52,53,54,55]. Potential threats can include over-tourism, an increased number of tourists and residents within the restricted region and the area’s surrounding safe zone. In addition, there are other threats to the ecological, economic, and sociocultural environment, such as air and water pollution, detrimental anthropogenic activities for the ecosystem, costs associated with reconstruction and protection, adverse social effects, economic inefficiency brought on by the emergence of uncontrolled tourism forms, and others. Precisely, it is ST that can be used as a stabilizer for numerous potential negative implications of unplanned tourism development [8,56,57,58,59,60].

Hussain et al. [11] studied ST in two conserved areas in India, Gharana Wetland, and Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary. The study employed the PS model. Using a questionnaire, four aspects of sustainability were utilized to evaluate the residents’ attitudes: institutional, social, ecological, and economic. Four research hypotheses were tested by applying SEM statistical analysis. The study’s findings suggest all hypotheses have been confirmed, i.e., each of the four sustainability dimensions affects residents’ satisfaction with ST.

Trišić et al. [8] examined the tourism in the Nature Park “Rusanda” and how it affects the extent to which locals and tourists become satisfied. By applying the PoS model in the research, 840 respondents (both local and guests) were contacted in total using the polling technique. The outcomes of the study show that the factors that most significantly affect the condition of ST are the ecological and social aspects of sustainability. The economic and institutional dimensions of sustainability are based on indicators that point to certain interventions needed during tourism planning and development in this protected area. In addition, the main objective was to examine whether ST has an impact on the satisfaction of respondents, which this research confirmed. The most important factors in tourism evolution in protected areas are those related to the natural and social elements of the destination and the economic, ecological, and cultural aspects of tourism [61,62,63]. The completion of destination construction, the impact of the natural world and space on the rise in tourism, the contribution by locals to ST, and the implementation of regulatory safeguards have all received special attention. Possibilities for various specific nature-based tourism forms, enhancement of regional customs, carrying capacity, utilization of resources, and other factors are also highlighted [64,65].

Jeelani et al. [13] examined the state and perspectives of environmentally conscious tourism in the Himalayan Pahalgam, a sensitive ecosystem with a fragile resource base and limited capacities for the local population. The main goal of this research was to examine the attitude of local communities about the sustainable development of tourism, using the SUS-TAS statistical model in their research. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data, and the SUS-TAS model was used to analyze the opinions of the local community towards ST development. The results of the research indicate that representatives of the local community agree with six constructions of ST development, out of the seven surveyed. The local population expressed their understanding of ST, which has its benefits when segmenting management priorities while respecting the needs and rights of the local population [66,67]. The acceptance and tolerance of the local population towards tourists are the basic prerequisites for ST development [68,69,70].