Tourists’ perceptions of climate change awareness, impact, and response mechanisms in South African national parks

Climate change threatens tourism through slow onsets and rapid climate-induced events like droughts, rising sea levels, floods, extreme heat, and wildfires, destabilising destinations appeal. This paper examined tourist perceptions of climate change in South African national parks and their responses to these challenges. A quantitative tourist survey (n = 871) was administered in 19 national parks. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, regression models, ANOVA, t-tests, and correlation analysis, while qualitative data were manually coded to identify themes and categorised by frequency. Over 40% of the tourists surveyed recognised the impact of climate change on the parks, and 50% understood the connection between climate change and reducing its environmental impact through lifestyle changes. However, 20% reported that lack of knowledge hinders their ability to adjust their lifestyles. Tourists showed a willingness to invest in sustainable travel, preferring green accommodations and low-carbon travel. This study highlights the need for park management to focus on conservation, disaster risk management, and engaging tourists through education and awareness of climate change and its impact on ecosystems and tourism.