Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Despite growing concern over sustainability, value–behaviour inconsistencies remain widespread in tourism, highlighting a need for conceptual clarity. Therefore, an inductive thematic synthesis was utilized to analyse how cognitive dissonance is conceptualized, triggered, and resolved across various green tourism contexts. Three thematic main strands emerged: (1) value–behaviour inconsistency, (2) green identity and group influence, and (3) situational constraints and greenwashing. Tourists often maintain a green self-image despite contradictory behaviour, influenced by group norms, destination cues, and infrastructural limitations. The findings highlight that destination managers and marketers must reduce behavioural friction and ensure that sustainability claims are authentic and actionable. Theoretically, the revew contributes a conceptual map of cognitive dissonance in green tourism, highlighting how dissonance emerges and is managed.
Author: Fuchs, Kevin
Institution: Prince of Songkla University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7126323614
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