Climate engagement for vulnerable marine ecosystems – Impact of marine tourism experiences on visitors

In the face of escalating climate-related challenges, transformative tourism experiences, such as marine-based tourism, have the potential to drive change, but few studies examine how tourism experiences motivate climate action. This study addressed this gap, investigating how marine-based tourism experiences influenced individual engagement with climate action. We conducted post-visit surveys of tourists (N = 436) who had visited an iconic marine tourism site – Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, Great Barrier Reef (Australia). Surveys quantified visitor engagement in twelve types of activities during their visit (e.g. snorkelling, diving, guided island tours, educational activities, tree planting), subjective perceptions of their overall experiences (e.g. learning and reflection), and climate behaviours. We found that participating in a greater number of activities, rather than a particular activity type, had the strongest association with climate behavioural intentions. However, only a small proportion of visitors completing the survey could identify a specific action that they could take to mitigate climate change or support decarbonisation (e.g. reduce driving, petition for investing in renewables). This finding underscores a significant gap between motivation of Reef visitors to engage in climate actions and their procedural knowledge about available actions. Overcoming this gap will require tourism operators and those designing interpretation content to integrate climate-focused calls to action and strategies into marine tourism experiences. The study emphasises the importance of creating programs that offer consistent opportunities across diverse activities to bridge the psychological gap between threat awareness and engagement with effective climate actions. This work contributes to the growing literature on transformative tourism and offers practical implications for designing impactful climate experiences to support conservation of marine ecosystems. • Marine tourism experiences shape willingness to adopt climate mitigation actions. • Cumulative experiences include in-water experiences and guided island experiences. • Important elements for change involve reflection on new ideas about the reef. • However, few respondents could identify a new climate action. • Marine tourism requires more explicit strategies to elicit climate engagement.