Promoting Best Practices in Responsible Travel Behavior to Young Generations

In a time of increasing concern about climate change, the planet's future, and residents' quality of life, the need to address sustainable travel in tourist destinations is more critical than ever (Dolnicar & Long, 2009). This study explored the constraints that inhibit the young generations’ enactment of sustainable travel behavior through several focus groups. Overall, the results revealed a behavior-intention gap among the participants, who were aware of the importance of responsible travel behavior but failed to do so during their trips. Additionally, it was revealed that such a gap is attributable to personal constraints (e.g., limited knowledge, lack of family of the destination, cost) and structural constraints (e.g., the inaccessibility to related facilities/infrastructure). In addition to discussing the study’s findings, the session will showcase a few examples of best practices for academics and examples of destinations and tourism operators contributing to the education of travelers visiting their cities or towns.