Work

A Hyper-Monster at the Gate: Conceptualising Climate Change in Tourism Studies Through Monster Theory

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper introduces monster theory as a novel theoretical lens to conceptualise climate change within tourism studies. It argues that climate change represents a “hyper-monster,” a vast, systemic entity whose presence reveals the tourism industry’s deepest anxieties and challenges it with an existential crisis. Drawing on the monster theory’s core theses, the paper analyses how climate change embodies societal fears and threatens tourism’s future. It explores how this monster is born of global (in)difference and systematic injustice, controls the boundaries of what is possible for global travel, and paradoxically generates contradictory demands, such as “last chance tourism.” By framing climate change as a hyper-monstrous force, the paper presents a novel analytical framework for tourism and its (un)sustainability in the Anthropocene.

Source: Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research

DOI: 10.1177/10963480251415228

Authors: Viachaslau Filimonau, Hakan Sezerel

Institutions: University of Surrey, Anadolu University

Language: English

Topic: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,900