Climate change pedagogy and performative action: toward community-based destination governance

Globalization and the trans-national mobilities of capital, finance, labor, migrations and travel have vastly increased the complexity of tourism destination governance. Even greater challenges lie ahead with respect to climate change and sustainability. Tourism research in those fields is focusing on adaptation and mitigation strategies, and policies based on sustainable production and consumption (e.g. Becken & Hay, 2007), but attention is surprisingly lacking on the roles and responsibilities of destination managers (including local government, national park services and destination marketing organizations) toward engaging both residents and visitors in sustainable destination management. Newly formed partnerships and initiatives are emerging to fill this void but, as illustrated below, significant pedagogic action is needed in order to facilitate an informed and involved civil society. New theoretical paradigms are also required to address emerging forms of civic engagement and pedagogic action at the local destination level.