Climate-strategic tourism: from shared crisis to strategic advantage and global asymmetry – a conceptual exploration

Purpose This paper reconceptualises climate change not merely as a universal threat, but as a driver of competitive realignment in global tourism. It introduces the concept of climate-strategic tourism to capture how climatic shifts create both opportunities and vulnerabilities, generating asymmetrical patterns of advantage across destinations. Design/methodology/approach The paper develops a conceptual framework integrating three perspectives: destination competitiveness, political economy and climate justice. This model is illustrated through six regional cases – the Arctic, Northern and Western Europe, North America, Asia–Pacific, the Mediterranean and small island developing states (SIDS)/coral reef economies – to demonstrate how climate-induced advantage and disadvantage evolve under different geographic, economic and institutional conditions. Findings Climate change is producing structural asymmetries in tourism, creating new “winners” and “losers.” Existing governance models, focused primarily on resilience, overlook the strategic management and redistribution of climatic advantage. The paper introduces the concept of benefit justice to address this normative gap. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual study, the analysis is based on secondary literature. Future research should model climate advantage empirically and assess governance mechanisms for equitable adaptation. Practical implications Destination managers are encouraged to develop ethical branding, climate-sensitive strategies and adaptive infrastructure to manage emerging advantages responsibly. Social implications Equitable redistribution of climate benefits can reduce global tourism inequality and support solidarity between advantaged and vulnerable destinations, aligning with SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Originality/value The study pioneers the theorisation of climate-strategic tourism and introduces benefit justice as a governance principle, offering a forward-looking framework for tourism's unequal climate future.