Coping with Climate Change in the Tourism Industry: a Review and Agenda for Future Research

The two-way relationship between tourism and Climate Change has important economic and developmental implications for numerous regions worldwide. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the existing literature on the relationship between tourism and climate change in order to establish the current state of corporate and institutional responses in the tourism industry and to set out an agenda for research. Methodology: As this is a literature review paper, a comprehensive review was undertaken of the management journals and related topics. Findings: The global or overall impact of tourism on climate has received little attention by researchers. In general, the majority of companies are still in a preliminary phase in terms of implementing adaptation and mitigation measures. There is a requirement to examine the determinants of these strategies in organisations, as well as their associated outcomes. There is a need to examine tourist preferences in terms of activities and destinations, the impacts of climate change, and whether and how this affects tourist-consumer decision making. Academic research has focused mostly on specific and individual solutions to address the impact of climate change on tourism. The analysis of the interplay of these measures and their possible synergies constitute an important topic for future research. Originality: The timeliness of the review is evident given the recent surge in popular debate on climate change, its effects on tourism and the appearance of a broad and disparate array of studies on this topic.