A Preliminary Exploration of Tourists as a Key Stakeholder in Climate Change Impact Management

This paper addresses climate change related issues that may affect the long term sustainable management of terrestrial and marine tourism protected areas in Cairns, Australia. The resiliency of tourism in areas vulnerable to climate change stands to be significantly affected by economic and societal trade-offs that may need to be made to protect valuable local-global resources for future generations. How do key stakeholders work towards the long-term conservation, use and enjoyment of a global heritage that is also a fragile ecological system facing multiple environmental threats and impacts? The role of tourists as key stakeholders in climate change is addressed, using a tourist survey undertaken at the domestic departure lounge of the Cairns International Airport. The questionnaire explored tourist perceptions related to climate change as well as some sustainability-oriented actions. The paper discusses the Climate Change Impact Model (Prideaux, Coghlan & McNamara, 2010) and the importance of including tourists as a key stakeholder in understanding options for adaptation.