Enhancing Tourists’ Responsible Consumption Behavior in Climate-Induced Areas: Insights From Tour Guides

This study investigates the pivotal role of tour guides as key practitioners in fostering responsible consumption behaviors among tourists visiting climate-impacted regions. Positioned as trusted sources of knowledge, tour guides employ diverse strategies to promote environmental conservation and sustainability. Findings reveal that guides act as environmental educators, connecting tourists to local ecological challenges through storytelling, role modelling, and polite intervention. These approaches foster emotional connections, encourage responsible behavior, and mitigate inappropriate tourist actions. Despite these efforts, barriers such as time constraints, diverse tourist motivations, the balance between education and entertainment, and concerns about social media exposure limit their effectiveness. This research highlights the complex yet impactful role of tour guides in promoting environmental stewardship and offers concrete implications for enhancing training programs and policy development to support sustainable tourism in climate-induced regions.