Climate Change Mitigation in Tourism: Why Sustainable Tourism Must Go Beyond Green Promises

by | Jan 10, 2026 | Awareness, Development, Domestic Tourists, Economy, Environment, International Tourists, Marketing, News, Planning, Policy, Research, Resilience, Sustainability, Tourism, Tourism Data Overview, Tourist Behaviour

Climate Change Mitigation in Tourism: Why Sustainable Tourism Must Go Beyond Green Promises

Introduction: Climate Change Mitigation in Tourism: Why Sustainable Tourism Still Fails to Address Its Biggest Emissions Challenge

Sustainable tourism has become a central theme in policy, research and industry practice. Yet, despite growing awareness of climate change, tourism’s contribution to global emissions continues to rise. This contradiction reveals a deeper problem: sustainable tourism discourse often fails to address climate mitigation in a systematic and meaningful way.

Recent research published in Tourism Management highlights a striking gap between sustainability rhetoric and climate action in tourism studies. The findings suggest that climate mitigation remains marginal in sustainable tourism research, with critical issues such as transport emissions and system-wide impacts often overlooked.

This blog explores why climate mitigation is underrepresented in sustainable tourism, what this means for policy and practice, and how a resilience-based approach can transform tourism’s response to climate change.

The paradox of sustainable tourism and climate change

Climate change has become an existential global crisis, yet tourism’s emissions are still increasing. One would expect climate mitigation to be at the core of sustainable tourism research and policy. However, a systematic review of 2,573 academic articles found that only 6.5 per cent addressed climate change mitigation directly.

This gap reveals a paradox: while sustainability is widely discussed in tourism, the sector’s most significant environmental challenge receives limited analytical attention.

The implications are profound. Without integrating climate mitigation into tourism frameworks, sustainability risks becoming a symbolic concept rather than a transformative strategy.

Why climate mitigation is marginal in tourism research

1) Narrow research boundaries

The study shows that tourism research often operates within tight system boundaries. This limits the ability to assess tourism’s full environmental footprint, including indirect emissions across supply chains and transport systems.

As a result, research tends to focus on local impacts rather than systemic drivers of emissions.

2) Transport emissions are overlooked

Transport is identified as the largest contributor to tourism-related emissions, yet it is frequently underrepresented in sustainable tourism studies.

This omission is critical because aviation, road travel and cruise tourism account for a substantial share of tourism’s carbon footprint. Without addressing mobility, sustainable tourism strategies cannot deliver meaningful climate outcomes.

3) Weak definitions of sustainability

The research also highlights the prevalence of vague or inconsistent definitions of sustainability in tourism literature.

When sustainability lacks conceptual clarity, it becomes difficult to measure progress, compare outcomes or design effective mitigation policies.

4) Data limitations and methodological challenges

Incomplete data and fragmented methodologies further constrain climate-focused research in tourism.

These limitations prevent robust assessment of mitigation pathways and hinder evidence-based decision-making.

Beyond sustainability: towards climate-resilient tourism systems

The findings of the study suggest that sustainable tourism must evolve into a more rigorous, systems-oriented framework. This requires moving beyond incremental improvements towards structural transformation.

A resilience-based approach offers a useful lens for rethinking tourism’s relationship with climate change.

Integrating mitigation and adaptation

Tourism policy often treats climate adaptation and mitigation as separate agendas. However, resilient tourism systems require integrated strategies that address both emission reduction and climate risk.

This includes:

  • Decarbonising transport and mobility systems
  • Promoting low-carbon tourism models
  • Aligning tourism development with climate targets
  • Embedding climate metrics into tourism planning

Expanding tourism intelligence

The study underscores the need for broader analytical frameworks that capture tourism’s systemic impacts.

This aligns with emerging approaches in tourism intelligence, which integrate environmental, social and economic indicators to support evidence-based governance.

By combining climate data with tourism analytics, destinations can identify trade-offs, anticipate risks and design more resilient tourism strategies.

From sustainable to regenerative tourism

The limitations of current sustainable tourism research highlight the need for a paradigm shift towards regenerative tourism.

Regenerative tourism focuses on:

  • Net positive environmental outcomes
  • Restoration of ecosystems
  • Community empowerment
  • Long-term resilience

Unlike conventional sustainability models, regenerative approaches explicitly address climate mitigation as a core objective rather than an optional add-on.

Implications for policy and practice

The research has significant implications for governments, destination managers and sustainability organisations.

For policymakers

Evidence suggests that tourism policy must:

  • Prioritise climate mitigation within sustainability strategies
  • Integrate transport emissions into tourism planning
  • Develop standardised sustainability metrics
  • Strengthen cross-sector collaboration

For destinations and communities

Destinations must recognise that tourism growth without decarbonisation is unsustainable.

Embedding climate mitigation into tourism governance can help:

  • Protect natural assets
  • Enhance community resilience
  • Strengthen destination competitiveness
  • Align tourism with national climate goals

For sustainability and resilience frameworks

Organisations working in sustainability and resilience have a critical role in bridging the gap between research and practice.

By developing integrated frameworks, tools and indicators, they can translate academic insights into actionable strategies for tourism systems.

Conclusion: rethinking sustainable tourism in the age of climate crisis

The study published in Tourism Management exposes a fundamental weakness in sustainable tourism research: climate mitigation is not treated as a central priority.

If tourism is to contribute meaningfully to global climate goals, sustainability frameworks must evolve from symbolic commitments to systemic transformation.

A resilience-based, data-driven and regenerative approach offers a pathway towards a tourism sector that not only survives climate change but actively contributes to planetary wellbeing.

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