2024/05/11 by Stefan Gössling, Stefan Gößling, Stephan Reinhold
Business, Management and Accounting · Environmental Science · Social Sciences · #Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research #Environmental Education and Sustainability #Environmental Sustainability in Business
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/09669582.2024.2350659
openalex publication_date 2024/05/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) within the tourism sector play crucial yet often underestimated roles in climate change mitigation, contributing to approximately half of the sector's greenhouse gas emissions.Although the existing literature has examined barriers to climate change action and potential drivers for the involvement of small firms, these aspects have not been comprehensively explored within the context of tourism.The article addresses this gap by conducting a narrative review that analyzes 78 papers and reports published on the topic.The results substantiate a differentiation among barriers, pressures, and incentives.Barriers encompass aspects related to knowledge and personality, understanding and perceptions, management, data, finances, technology, legislation, and community.Pressures originate from costs, customer expectations, and compliance.Incentives manifest in economic considerations, subsidies, marketing strategies, staff benefits, and community advantages.The findings are synthesized into a series of conceptualizations, offering pathways for progress on mitigation.Findings emphasize the significance of legislation and efforts of destination management organizations for accelerating SME engagement with climate change.