Sustainable-responsible tourism discourse – Towards ‘responsustable’ tourism

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production 2016-01, Vol.111, p.461-470
• Main Author: Mihalic, Tanja
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavioural economics; CSR; Responsible tourism; Responsustable tourism; Sustainable tourism; Triple-A Model
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.12.062

Despite several decades of academic and practical debate on tourism sustainability, its application in practice remains difficult. The dominant tourism discourse on sustainability (theory, seen as a concept) and responsibility (practice, understood as appropriate action) calls for a solid understanding of the process of how a responsible destination actually implements a sustainability agenda, which this paper aims to provide. In this context, we explore theoretical perspectives from political economics and behavioural economics to offer a well-reasoned integrated sustainability–responsibility model comprising three stages: Awareness, Agenda and Action. This Triple-A Model complements the sustainability indicators debate and provides advice on how to continuously implement the sustainability concept and move from market-value-led and environmentally laissez-faire tourism towards more environmental- and social-value-driven responsible tourism. In addition, this paper discusses the existing sustainability and responsibility nomenclatures and their use and contributes relevant conclusions on the current understanding of sustainability and responsibility in European and UNWTO practices. The term responsustable tourism is suggested to join two existing terms and demonstrate that the current understanding of responsible tourism behaviour is based on the concept of sustainable tourism. Triple-A Model for responsustable tourism. [Display omitted] •Defines the dominant tourism discourse on sustainability and responsibility.•Defines the sustainability as a theory (a concept); defines the responsibility as practice (appropriate action).•Develops a Triple-A Model.•Suggests and justifies the new tourism nomination: responsustable tourism.•Complements the sustainable indicators with Triple-A Model.