Climate‐Friendly Vacations and Tourism

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the socio‐cultural barriers and drivers shaping transitions toward climate‐friendly vacation practices. It highlights the influence of culturally embedded ideas and imaginaries surrounding holidays, intertwined with structural, cultural, and social constraints. These barriers and drivers are continually constructed and reinforced through various practices and discourses, shaping societal perceptions and behaviors. In addition, inherent dilemmas related to economic and social aspects of sustainability in the tourism sector also influence travel practices and discourses. An important argument concerns the malleability of barriers to climate‐friendly vacation practices. Although tourism desires and imaginaries tend to be associated with resource‐intensive practices, they are not inherently incompatible with climate‐friendly alternatives. Recognizing the socially constructed nature of these barriers and drivers opens avenues for societal change through collective action and policy initiatives. Understanding behavioral aspects of the green transition requires insights into the structural factors that shape behavior. Shared imaginaries and values regarding vacations and tourism constitute vital structural factors, and studies focusing on such structural meanings can enrich our understanding of societal transitions. This article calls for acknowledging socio‐cultural dynamics where vacation desires, memory creation, and individual dilemmas are shaped by shared imaginaries and structural conditions, paving the way for meaningful change in the tourism industry and beyond.