A Study of the Level of Awareness Towards Sustainable Tourism Among Gen Z

Abstract

Tourism has the potential to promote equitable development, environmental sustainability and economic expansion. To guarantee the long-term advantages of tourism, sustainable tourism is a vital growth paradigm that incorporates social, environmental and economic aspects. The notion of sustainable tourism development has received a lot of attention from scholars and industry professionals in the field of tourism, but its theoretical foundation, sustainable development, has not been well addressed in the literature on that aspect of tourism. It is therefore rarely questioned whether sustainable development applies to the particular context of tourism. This article explores the relationship between sustainable tourism and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs represent a bold plan of action for sustainable development that runs through 2030.Additionally, the present research intends to analyse Gen Z’s behaviour in a post-pandemic scenario since they constitute one of the most significant segments in the travel and tourism industry. From a generational perspective, an increasing body of research indicates that sustainability transitions may be influenced by how Gen Z’s altered values, attitudes and lifestyles have evolved. However, nothing is known about how to activate and include Generation Z to maximise and utilise their distinct abilities, values and attitudes for the transformation of sustainable tourism. The research findings suggest that there is still a need to move away from the traditional perspective of treating Generation Z as passive recipients of less sustainable services or work practices, and towards empowering and enabling them to realise their potential in collaboration with others.

Keywords: Tourism, Environment Sustainability, Sustainable Development, Sustainability Transitions, Sustainable Tourism

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