A structure and agency perspective of sustainable tourism

Abstract

This study reviews the literature on sustainable tourism to aid theory development in the field of sustainability and tourism and to develop a framework to facilitate integration of sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviours in tourism. Informed by a structure and agency lens, the study seeks to answer the following inter-related research questions: (1) what are the characteristics of sustainable tourists, and (2) why do tourists engage in sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviour? Using Scopus as the main database for review, the study synthesizes 103 articles in a systematic manner. Results of our review suggest that behaviours that tourists engage in are not only influenced by structural factors external to them such as cultural and contextual norms of their society and features of tour destinations, but their behaviours are also affected by agentic factors such as personal values and beliefs, motives and perceptions of risk. Our findings reveal a dynamic interplay between structural and agentic factors that are at times constitutive of each other and collectively shape tourists’ inclination towards sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviour.

Keywords: Agency; literature review; responsible tourist; structure; sustainable tourism