Tourist behavior and awareness in airline voluntary carbon offset programs: A Portuguese perspective

This study examines the attitudes and behaviors of Portuguese air travelers towards voluntary carbon offset (VCO) programs, with a focus on understanding the motivations and awareness levels that drive offsetting behaviors. An online survey conducted between February 28 and April 30, 2023, gathered responses from 534 Portuguese residents who had traveled by air in the 12-month period prior to completion of the survey The findings reveal that while the decision to participate in VCO programs is primarily driven by a fundamental environmental ethos among offsetters, tourists exhibit limited understanding of these programs and heightened concern about affordability. Notably, the study uncovers a significant cognitive dissociation among tourists, where they often overlook or fail to acknowledge VCO offers. The findings highlight the challenge of integrating sustainability into the leisure tourism experience. This suggests that future research must account for these psychological hurdles when conducting sustainability experiments. Moreover, for sustainability initiatives to be truly effective, they must first address these cognitive barriers and reshape how environmental responsibility is perceived during leisure travel.