Sustainable consumption in tourism: perceptions of low-carbon holidays in island destinations–a cluster analysis approach

Abstract

Although the tourism sector has made efforts to promote low-carbon tourism as one of the ways to address the challenge of climate change, understanding of the current low-carbon tourist segments is still limited and fragmented. This study analyzes low-carbon tourist segments in Thailand's island destinations using cluster analysis, identifying three distinct types: Low-carbon Supporters, Pleasure Seekers, and Destination Protectors, each varying in their perceived importance of low-carbon tourism dimensions. Using Important-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA), the research highlights key items significant to each cluster. It contributes theoretically and offers practical marketing strategies to promote low-carbon destinations effectively to these segments.