ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses microlevel issues and macro-level implications related to environmental awareness, perceptions and actions of tourists at the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Proactive sustainability action by the tourism industry and policy-makers will be needed as societal perceptions shift and structural changes are initiated in response to climate change.There are relatively few studies on tourist perceptions and actions in relation to climate change in World Heritage Sites. Scott et al. (2009) explored climate change scenarios with a wide range of visitors in the mountainous landscapes of Waterton National Park, Canada. On the Great Barrier Reef, Turton et al. (2009) used an extensive multi-stakeholder process to examine the climate-resource relationship and tourism. At the Great Barrier Reef, raising awareness and knowledge about climate change impacts on the reef, and the carbon impacts of travellers, are important actions for the tourism industry and other key stakeholders including destination managers and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to engage in.
