Original Scientific Article
Managers’PerspectivesabouttheRelationship
betweenTourismandClimateChange:
CaseoftheRepublicofCroatia
AleksandarRacz
University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
aleksandar.racz@zvu.hr
DoraSmolčićJurdana
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Croatia
doras@fthm.hr
ZvonimiraŠverkoGrdić
University of Rijeka, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Croatia
zgrdic@fthm.hr
Assumingatwo-wayrelationshipbetweenclimatechangeandtourism,itisveryim-
portanttoknowthebeliefsandattitudesoftouristmanagers.Researchofbeliefsand
attitudesoftouristmanagersisakeyproblemofthisresearch.Beliefsandattitudesof
touristmanagersareaffectedbydifferentfactorssuchas:sociodemographiccharac-
teristics,especiallygender;levelofeducation;lengthofserviceinthetourismsector;
membershipinecological ngos;andbeliefsandattitudesaboutclimatechange.To
investigate managers’ opinions, the authors created a survey which focused on all
managerswhomanagecategorizedfacilitiesbytypeintheRepublicofCroatia.The
resultshaveshownsignificantdifferencesinthebeliefsandattitudesabouttheinter-
influenceofclimatechangeandtouristaccommodation.Managerswhoarefemale,
whohavecompletedtertiaryeducation,whoaremembersofecological ngos and
whoconsiderthemselvesactivists,andthosewhohavemoreyearsofworkexperi-
ence, showed stronger pro-environmental attitudes and higher levels of ecological
awareness.
Keywords:attitudes,beliefs,climatechange,management,tourism,destinations
https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.14.53-70
Introduction
Climatechangehasbecomethebiggestchallengeand
threattothesurvivalofhumancivilization,withmany
consequencesforvirtuallyeveryaspectofhumanlife.
Thereisatwo-wayrelationshipbetweentourismand
climatechangeastourismislargelydependentonthe
climate and is influenced by climate change in real
time(Mahadew&Appadoo,2019).
Itisestimatedthattourismisthesourceofatleast
8 of global CO
2
emissions which is why great ef-
fortsarebeingmadeontheglobalandnationallevels
to mitigate the consequences of climate change(Wa-
jahat et al., 2020). This also involves planning and
taking measures to prevent further negative conse-
quences that might become irreversible in the future
(Kocaketal.,2020;Beckenetal.,2020).Manyauthors
agreethatclimatechangeoriginatesinnature,‘buthas
causes in an economic, cultural and political system
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |53

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
thatisspreadingaroundtheworld’(Ančićetal.,2016).
On the theoretical level this research has started
from basic principles derived from the Theory of
Planned Behaviour (tpb) that looks at ‘intentions to
behave,’andnotnecessarilyactualactionsofindividu-
als.Itarguesthatattitudes,subjectivenormsandper-
ceivedbehaviouralcontrolaffectintentionstoactand
these in turn predict behaviour. tpb starts from the
premisethatindividualsmakelogical,reasoneddeci-
sionstoengageinspecificbehaviourbyevaluatingthe
informationavailable to them. The performanceof a
behaviourisdeterminedbytheindividual’s intention
toengageinit(influencedbythevaluetheindividual
placesonthebehaviour,theeasewithwhichitcanbe
performedandtheviewsofsignificantothers)andthe
perception that the behaviour is within his/her con-
trol(Ajzen,1985).Thetheorywasintendedtoexplain
all behaviour over which people have the ability to
exert self-control. The key component to this model
is behavioural intent; behavioural intentions are in-
fluenced by the attitude concerning the likelihood
that the behaviour will have the expected outcome
and the subjective evaluation of the risks and ben-
efits of that outcome. Rosenberg’s three-component
structurewasdiscussedwhendevelopingtheresearch
plan,inthesensethatanattitudeisawholemadeup
of cognitive (what an individual thinks of an object
of attitude), emotional or affective (what an individ-
ual feels about an object of attitude) and conative or
behavioural components (how an individual intends
to behave towards an object of attitude) (Alessandri
& Vecchione, 2015). This model of attitude structure
is also called the abc model (affect, intention of be-
haviour,cognition)(Stern&Oskamp,1987).
The theoreticalconceptonwhichthisresearchof
beliefs and attitudes leans is the theory of the mode
modeldevelopedbyFazio(1993)andMyersandTwen-
ge (2016). The model broadens the one-dimensional
approachtoattitudesbyemphasizingtheundisputable
connectionbetweenbeliefs,attitudesandintentionof
behaviours,withMyersandTwengeawarethat‘there-
lationshipofindividualcomponentsofattitudeisnot
simpleandunambiguous’(Ajdukovićetal.,2005).
The mode model (‘motivation and opportunities
asdeterminants’)assumesthatattitudescaninfluence
intention of behaviour either through the conscious
implications that they have on the intention of be-
haviour or by automatic selective processing for the
postureofsignificantinformation.Specifically,amore
precise mode modelisbasedontheassumptionthat
attitudes, in addition to referring to certain objects,
havetheir ‘strength,’and that we can locate it on the
so-called‘strengthscale’accordingly,wherezeroisthe
complete indifference to the object of attitude. Only
strong attitudes are stable and reliable in predicting
behaviour.Attitudesalsorepresentalinkbetweenthe
objectofattitudeitselfandtheindividual’sevaluation
of the object. Attitudes are based on experience that
in this case forms the basis of the evaluation. In the
mode model,theauthorsemphasizetheimportance
oftheso-called concept of activationoftheaforemen-
tionedobjectconnectionandtheexistingevaluation,
andlinkittothescaleofpowerwhererelativeindif-
ferenceisfoundatthelowerpartofthestrengthscale.
Inorderfortheattitude-behaviourprocesstobeacti-
vated,theremustbeanexternalinfluencethatcanalso
representasimplequestionposedabouttheobjectit-
self. At the opposite end of the scale where attitudes
arestrong,thisactivationcanoccurandautomatically,
withoutexternalstimuli,is alreadysufficientpercep-
tion of the object to initiate the attitude-intention of
thebehaviourprocess.
AuthorsSinatraetal.(2012)measuredattitudesto-
ward climate change caused by anthropological ac-
tivity and found that respondents who had a more
accepting attitude toward climate change were more
likelytoexpressawillingnesstoact.AuthorsGarayet
al. (2018) explored cognitive mechanisms that moti-
vatemanagerstointroducesustainabilitypracticesin
theirbusinesses.Theyconcludedthatmanagers’sub-
jectivenormsexplainedmoreoftheirbehaviouralin-
tentionsthantheirattitudesorperceivedbehavioural
controls.
Thestartingpointforthispaperwastheassump-
tionofatwo-wayrelationshipbetweenclimatechange
andtourism,andthe importance of knowing the be-
liefs and attitudes of multiple stakeholders – man-
agers in the entire tourist accommodation industry
askeypersonsintourismmanagementanddecision-
making,andkeyactorsinimplementingenvironmen-
54 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
tal protection, as well as implementing and develop-
ing business policies in the areaof sustainabledevel-
opment (Bohdanowicz, 2005). The main objective of
thispaperwastoanalysetheinfluenceoffourdifferent
sociodemographic characteristics among managers
concerning beliefs and attitudes on climate change:
gender, level of education, length of service in the
tourism sector and membership in ecological ngos
oractivisminecologicalactionsandinitiatives(Racz,
2019).Theresearchers’intentionwastoprovidease-
ries of insights that might be relevant for the devel-
opment of sustainable practices in the tourism sec-
tor, and particularly the hotel industry in general, as
theycontributetounderstandingtheattitudesofkey
decision-makers. This can also provide the basis for
predicting their intention of behaviour in relation to
theapplicationofenvironmentalprotectionmeasures.
LiteratureReview
Climate change poses a unique challenge to the en-
tire human civilization and affects all aspects of hu-
man life, including tourism. The Earth is currently
0.7°C warmer than in 1900, and if all emissions are
stoppedtoday,theEarthwillwarmbyafurther0.5–
1°Cinthenextdecade.Researchshowsthatthebiggest
impactonthesechangesisthereleaseofcarbondiox-
ide into the atmosphere, which due to its properties
enhances the greenhouse effect on Earth. Interest in
climatechangehasincreasedinrecentyears,especially
after the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Con-
ference held in Copenhagen (Scott & Becken, 2010;
Gösslingetal.,2012;Rosselló-Nadal,2014;Ruttyetal.,
2017).Dogruetal.(2019)exploretheextenttowhich
vulnerability and resilience to climate change affect
tourism and the overall economy. The results indi-
cate that tourism is both more vulnerable and more
resilienttoclimatechangecomparedtotheeconomy
in general. Scott et al. (2019) argue that vulnerability
ishighestinmanycountrieswheretourismrepresents
thelargestpercentageof gdp,aswellasregionswhere
tourismgrowthisexpectedtobethestrongestoverthe
comingdecades.
Tourism depends on having a favourable climate,
preservedenvironmentandrichfloraandfauna(Buck-
ley,2011;Müller&Weber,2008).Toadegree,climate
elementssuchastemperature,totalhoursofsunshine
andrainperiodsdefineinternationaltourismflowsin
Europe(Joopetal.,2015).Numerouskeytourismfac-
torsareaffectedbyclimatechange(Scott&Lemieux,
2010;Kozaketal.,2008;Hamilton&Tol,2007).
Rising sea levels, changing ecosystems, changes
in the water system on Earth, various health effects
and more frequent extreme weather events will af-
fect tourism not only in terms of reducing comfort,
but also in terms of reduced safety (Michailidou et
al., 2016). Tourism is extremely sensitive to climate
change and it can endure many negative or positive
effects(Joopetal.,2013;Wongetal.,2013;Schliephack
&Dickinson,2017).
The tourism sector has seen significant growth in
thelastfourdecades(Gösslingetal.,2013)anditis
alsoasignificantfactorintheeconomicdevelopment
ofbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries(Cannon-
ier&Burke,2018;Dogru&Bulut,2018:Becken,2019;
Hall, 2019; Jentos et al., 2012; Saarinen & Rogerson,
2014;Scheyvens&Hughes,2018).Someauthorshave
focusedonexploringtheimpactofclimatechangeon
tourism demand based on ipcc (Intergovernmental
PanelonClimateChange)climatechangeprojections
(Hindley & Font, 2017; Hall et al., 2016; Amelung et
al.,2007;Scott&Brenda,2007).Theseprojectionsen-
compass the global level, the country level, and des-
tinations such as coastal areasand islands, as well as
skiing destinations (Wyss & Abegg, 2014; Dawson &
Scott,2007).
There are not, however, many studies focused on
thebeliefsandattitudesofmanagersin tourismcon-
cerningtheimpactofclimatechange,especiallywhen
itcomestotheinterdependencebetweenclimatechan-
geandaccommodationintourism.Researchfocused
on manager beliefs and attitudes regarding climate
change and tourism, or researchof a single aspect, is
typically conducted for a particular country or desti-
nation.Trawoger(2014)analysedclimatechangeper-
ceptionsofwintertourismstakeholdersinTyrol(Aus-
tria).Heconcludedthatgrowingawarenessofclimate
change is limited to perceiving the issue as a global
phenomenon.Halletal.(2016)presentedasystematic
overview of tourism accommodation providers and
consumerattitudes,intentionofbehaviour andprac-
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |55

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
tices pertaining to sustainable development, sustain-
ability in general and climate change. Legrand et al.
(2012)hypothesizedthatthehotelindustryisrespon-
sibleforCO
2
emissionsintotheatmosphereandthus
responsible for the intensifying climate change.They
concludedthathotelshaverecognizedhowimportant
sustainabilityanditsprincipleshavebecomeandthat
greeninvestmentsareontherise.Yu-Ping,Hall&Oz-
zane(2012)proposedthathotelsandthehotelindustry
arethemostvulnerabletoclimatechangeasaconse-
quenceoftheirprimaryresources.Theirresearchre-
sultsencompassattitudes,awarenessandintentionof
behaviourofTaiwanesehotelmanagerswithregardto
climatechange,itspotentialimpactandtheirecolog-
ical practices in general. Authors Dube and Nhamo
(2020) used a method approach; their study sought
todocumenttouristperceptionsandattitudesregard-
ingtheimpactandfutureoftheVictoria FallsWorld
HeritageSite.AuthorsTorres-Baguretal.(2019)con-
ducted interviews with owners and managers to un-
derstandperceptionsandidentifythemainproblems
associated with climate change in order to design ef-
fectivemitigationandadaptationstrategiestoguaran-
teethesustainabilityoftourismandnaturalresources.
Tourism needs to introduce certain adjustment
measures to boost the positive and mitigate the neg-
ative effects of future climate change (Perić & Šverko
Grdić,2017).However,itmustbeemphasizedthatcli-
mate change will have a different effect on different
destinationsand,consequently,ontheeconomicben-
efitsoftourism.
MitigatingTourism-InducedClimateChange
There are two primary strategic approaches when it
comes to climate change – mitigation and adapta-
tion.Thetwoshouldnotbeobservedseparately,they
are not an either/or choice. Instead, they are con-
nected,alternativestrategiesthatcanachievethebest
resultsthroughtheuseofwell-developedinstruments
and measures for the simultaneous implementation
of both. The goal of mitigation is to slow down cli-
mate change, while adaptation involves lowering cli-
matechangevulnerability(Joppetal.,2015).
Anotheraimofthemitigationstrategyistoreduce
harmfulemissionsintotheatmosphere,thusreducing
thegreenhouseeffect.Mitigationstrategiesingeneral
include enhancing, restoring, creating, or preserving
current standards in order to offset unavoidable ef-
fects (Dogru et al., 2019). Climate resilience and the
needfordecarbonizationarehighlightedincommu-
nication in the tourism sector, but there is little evi-
denceofsignificantactionbeingtakenregardingmit-
igation(Gössling&Scott,2018).Alleconomicsectors
willberequiredtocontributetoreducingemissionsin
ordertoachievetheobjectivesetbytheParisClimate
Agreement – to limit global warming to 2°C above
pre-industrial levels. Any increase in emissions from
specific sectorsorcountrieswill meanthatthereisa
wideninggapbetweentrajectoriesandmitigationob-
jectives.Fortourism,inabusiness-as-usualscenario,
thiswouldcorrespondtomorethan2.5GtofCO
2
per
yearby2050(EuropeanTravelCommission,2018).
Adaptationandmitigationareveryimportantstrat-
egies for responding to climate change and they are
equallyimportant(Hambira&Saarinen,2015).With-
outearlyandtimelymitigation,thecostsofadaptation
will rise, and the ability of countries and individuals
toadapteffectivelywillbeconstrained.Understanding
thenatureandconsequencesofclimatechangeisthe
basis of any serious mitigation or adaptationpolicies
(Galeotti & Roson, 2012). In order to be able to im-
plementmitigationandadaptation,itisimportantto
assesswhatthecostofinactionwouldbe,i.e.theeco-
nomicimpactofclimatechangeinabaselinescenario
inwhichnopoliciesareimplemented.Thegreeningof
accommodationestablishments(Hoogendoornetal.,
2015)andattemptsatcreatingcarbon-neutraltourism
destinations could potentially be viable and address
bothadaptationandmitigationstrategies.
Methodology
The study included managers from 1,084 individual
touristaccommodationestablishmentsfromtheterri-
toryoftheentireRepublicofCroatia,includedinthe
listofcategorizedobjectsontheMinistryofTourism’s
website on March 7, 2019. The survey included cate-
gorized hotels and apart-hotels, hotel and apartment
complexes,categorizedcampsites,andmarinas.Itwas
conducted using online surveys and was completely
anonymous,withtargeteddistributionofsurveyques-
56 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
tionnaires,i.e.calls throughprofessionalassociations
and competent bodies and chambers in the period
fromApriltoJune2019.Todeterminebeliefsandat-
titudes about climate change and the impact of cli-
matechangeandtouristaccommodation,aquestion-
naire prepared for this researchwas used, which was
basedon theEuro BarometerQuestionnaire300 and
459 (European Commission, 2009, 2017). Further-
more,thequestionnaireincludedaselectionofmodi-
fiedquestionsusedinpreviousresearch,buttargeted
with regard to the target population – top managers
in tourist accommodation facilities in Croatia (Bo-
hdanowicz, 2005, 2006; Leiserowitz et al., 2018). The
finalformofthesurveyquestionnairewasobtainedby
includingaseriesoforiginalquestionsaimedprecisely
atthegoalsofthisresearchandthetargetpopulation,
thuscreatinganoriginalquestionnaire.
Attitudes and beliefs were explored using the at-
titude measurement scale. The expressed degree of
agreement with the proposed claims and the stan-
dardized manner of assessment determined the re-
spondent’sposition.Thefirstpartofthequestionnaire
usedaseriesof30statementsrelatedtoglobalwarm-
ingandclimatechange,andtherelationshipbetween
tourism and climate change, according to which re-
spondents had to express their degree of agreement
with each statement on a 7-point Likert scale, with
grade 1 meaning ‘strongly disagree,’ 4 meaning ‘nei-
theragreenordisagree’and7meaning‘stronglyagree’
withthestatement.Thescaleexaminedthecognitive,
intention of behaviour and affective components of
attitude. In the second part of the questionnaire, re-
spondents were offered 6 terms related to the parent
term ‘climate change and global warming,’ in which
theywereaskedtoindicatethepositionbestmatching
theirfeelingsaboutclimatechangeandglobalwarm-
ing on a 7-point scale, which additionally examined
theaffectivecomponent ofattitude.The actioncom-
ponent of attitude was examined through a series of
8 statements, each related to individual personal in-
volvementorintenttoparticipateinanyoftheafore-
mentioned adaptation measures or measures for re-
ducingthenegativeimpactofglobalwarmingthrough
personalactions,expressedona7-pointscale.
Posthoccomparisonsof p-valueswereperformed
in each of the three component domains (cognitive,
affective, and conative) for each of the observed so-
ciodemographic characteristics. In order to analyse
the share and contribution of each component of the
attitudetotheoverallexpressedlevelofenvironmental
awareness, some total factor scores (given the differ-
entnumberofquestionsinvolved)wereconvertedto
a scale from 0 (least agreement/no agreement with
eachfactor)to100(completeagreementwithafactor)
according to the formula in which the numerator is
formedbythedifferenceofthescoresoftheladderof
eachfactor,reducedby the smallestpossible amount
oftheladderofthefactor,thedenominatorrepresents
the possible range of the ladder of factors, and the
result is multiplied by one hundred. Orientation to
the right (higher score) denotes ecologically friendly
intention of behaviour or understanding of the pat-
tern, consequences, and correlation of phenomena
withglobalwarmingandclimatechange.
ibm spss Statisticssoftwareversion25.0wasused
intheanalysis.Dataprocessingwasperformedusing
MicrosoftExcel.IntheentiresurveytheKolmogorov-
Smirnov test was used to analyse the distribution of
continuousnumericalvalues,andcorrespondingnon-
parametric tests were applied according to the ob-
taineddata.Categoricalandnominalvalueswerepre-
sented using corresponding frequencies and shares.
Continuousvalueswerepresentedusingmediansand
interquartileranges,andthedifferencesbetweenthem
were analysed by the Kruskal-Wallis test, and pre-
sented in a box and whisker plot showing median
values,interquartileranges,minimumandmaximum
values,andextremevalueswhichdifferfromtheme-
diansbymorethan1.5interquartileranges.
ResultsandFindings
Fromthetotalof1,084categorizedtouristaccommo-
dation establishments, the survey collected a total of
283 fully completed questionnaires,which represents
aresponserateof26.1.Thestudyincluded283par-
ticipants of different genders, of which 168 (59.36)
were male and 115 (40.64) were female. Analysing
thehighestachievedlevelofeducationhasshownthat
amongthe283participantstherewere77participants
(27.20)withsecondaryschooleducation,66partici-
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |57

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
Table 1 DescriptiveStatistics:NumericalDataforCognitiveComponent
Category Item N sv sd Min Max Perc. Median Perc. P
Gender Male  . . . . . . . <.
Female  . . . . . . .
Educationallevel Secondary  . . . . . . . <.
High  . . . . . . .
University  . . . . . . .
Postgraduate  . . . . . . .
ngo membership No  . . . . . . . <.
Yes  . . . . . . .
Workingexperience
intourism
<years  . . . . . . . <.
–years  . . . . . . .
>years  . . . . . . .
Table 2 DescriptiveStatistics:NumericalDataforAffectiveComponent
Category Item N sv sd Min Max Perc. Median Perc. P
Gender Male  . . . . . . . <.
Female  . . . . . . .
Educationallevel Secondary  . . . . . . . <.
High  . . . . . . .
University  . . . . . . .
Postgraduate  . . . . . . .
ngo membership No  . . . . . . . <.
Yes  . . . . . . .
Workingexperience
intourism
<years  . . . . . . . <.
–years  . . . . . . .
>years  . . . . . . .
pants(23.32)withhighereducation,124participants
(43.81)withauniversitydegreeand16(5.67)with
postgraduateeducation.Regardingthe lengthof em-
ploymentor,toputitanotherway,thelengthofwork-
ingexperienceintourism,65(22.97)ofrespondents
have been working in tourism for less than 5 years,
133(46.99)havebeenworkingfor5–15years,and85
(30.04)formorethan15years.
Forthevisualpresentationofobtaineddataabox-
plotwasusedasastandardizedwayofdisplayingthe
dataset based on a five-number summary: the mini-
mum,themaximum,thesamplemedian,andthefirst
andthirdquartiles.Aboxplot,isamethodforgraphi-
callydepictinggroupsofnumericaldatathroughtheir
quartiles.ForfurtheranalysisweaddedTables1–3that
numericallyshowtheelementsofdescriptivestatistics
for each individual component of the attitude on the
basisofwhichthegraphsweremade.
CognitiveComponent
Thestudyfoundstatisticallysignificantdifferencesin
thecognitivecomponentofattitudewithrespecttothe
gender of managers, with female managers showing
statistically significant greater acceptance of the pro-
58 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
Table 3 DescriptiveStatistics:NumericalDataforConativeComponent
Category Item N sv sd Min Max Perc. Median Perc. P
Gender Male  . . . . . . . <.
Female  . . . . . . .
Educationallevel Secondary  . . . . . . . <.
High  . . . . . . .
University  . . . . . . .
Postgraduate  . . . . . . .
ngo membership No  . . . . . . . <.
Yes  . . . . . . .
Workingexperience
intourism
<years  . . . . . . . <.
–years  . . . . . . .
>years  . . . . . . .
Figure 1 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’GenderfortheCognitive
ComponentofAttitude
ecologicalclaimsofferedcomparedtomalemanagers,
orhigherlevelsofenvironmentalawareness(seeFig-
ure1).
The post hoc comparisons showed that there is a
statistically significant difference in the attitudes of
managers depending on the level of education com-
pleted,andineachofthecomparisonsmadebetween
the compared 4 groups, except when comparing the
attitudesofmanagerswithahighschooldiplomacom-
paredtothoseofpostgraduatestudents.Fromthedata
presented in Figure 2, it can be concluded that the
Figure 2 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’LevelofEducation
fortheCognitiveComponentofAttitude
highest degree of acceptance of the claims, and thus
the highest level of environmental knowledge, was
shownbythemanagerswiththehighestlevelofedu-
cation. The lowest scores were recordedin the group
of respondentswhosehighestlevelis secondaryedu-
cation,whichconfirmedtheimportanceofthecom-
pletedlevelofpreviouseducationintheformationof
thecognitivecomponentofattitudes(seeFigure2).
Membershipofrespondentsinnon-governmental
(ngo) environmental associations was expected to
prove to be a statistically significant differentiating
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |59

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
Figure 3 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’Membershipin ngo
fortheCognitiveComponentofAttitude
factorforthecognitivecomponentofmanagerialatti-
tude.Managersinvolvedintheworkofenvironmental
ngos areexpectedtoexpresssignificantlymorepro-
ecologically affirmative attitudes than socially non-
engaged respondents, relative to those who are not
activemembersofthe ngo scene(seeFigure3).
Work experience has emerged through post hoc
comparisons as a factor leading to a statistically sig-
nificantdifferenceinattitudeswhencomparingthree
groupsofrespondents:thosewithlessthanfiveyears
of work experience compared with those with 5–15
years of experience or compared with those respon-
dents with over 15 years of experience. Differences
werealsoconfirmedwhencomparingtheattitudesof
respondents with 5–15 years of experience compared
tothoseofrespondentswithmorethan15yearsofex-
perience.Thedatashowsthatthegroupofmanagers
with the most seniority shows, in the cognitive atti-
tude component,thehighestdegreeof acceptanceor
agreement with the statements offered, compared to
the other two groups of respondents, related to the
mostdevelopedlevelofenvironmentalawareness(see
Figure4).
AffectiveComponent
Thestudyfoundstatisticallysignificantdifferencesin
theaffective,emotionalcomponentofattitudewithre-
spect tomanagergender.Femalemanagersshoweda
Figure 4 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’YearsofWorkExperience
inTourismfortheCognitiveComponent
ofAttitude
Figure 5 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’GenderfortheEmotional
ComponentofAttitude
statistically significant greater acceptance of the pro-
environmentalassertionsofferedthanmalemanagers
(seeFigure5).
Theconductedposthoccomparisonsshowedthat
there is a statistically significant difference in the at-
titudes of managers depending on the level of their
highestcompletededucation,andineachofthecom-
parisonsconductedbetweeneachofthe4groups.
FromthedatapresentedinFigure6,itcanbecon-
cluded that the highest degree of acceptance of the
60 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
Figure 6 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerplotwithRespect
toRespondents’LevelofEducation
fortheEmotionalComponentofAttitude
claims,andthusthehighestdegreeofenvironmental
sensitivityintheaffective,emotionalcomponent,was
shown by the managers with the highest completed
education, while the lowest results were recorded in
the group of respondents with the lowest, i.e. sec-
ondaryeducation,thusconfirmingtheimportanceof
the completedlevelof previous educationin the atti-
tudeformationprocess(seeFigure6).
Respondents’ membership in ngos, as expected,
proved to be a statistically significant differentiating
factorfortheaffectivecomponentofmanagerialatti-
tude.Managersinvolvedintheworkofenvironmen-
tal ngos areexpectedtohavesignificantlymorepro-
ecologically affirmative views than respondents not
engagedintheworkofenvironmental ngos (seeFig-
ure7).
Work experience has emerged through post hoc
comparisonsasafactorthatleadstoastatisticallysig-
nificantdifferenceinmanagerialattitudeswhencom-
paring the attitudes of managersclassified into three
groups: managerswith less than five yearsof service,
managers with 5–15 years of service, and those with
over15yearsofservice.
Differenceswerealsoconfirmedwhencomparing
theattitudesofrespondentswith5–15yearsofexperi-
encewiththoseofover15yearsofexperience.Thedata
showsthatthegroupofmanagerswiththemostyears
ofexperienceshows,intheaffective,emotionalcom-
Figure 7 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’Membershipin ngo
fortheEmotionalComponentofAttitude
Figure 8 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’YearsofWorkExperience
inTourismfortheEmotionalComponent
ofAttitude
ponent,thehighestdegreeofacceptanceoragreement
withthestatementsofferedcomparedtotheothertwo
groupsofrespondents(seeFigure8).
Behavioural,ConativeComponent
Thestudyfoundstatisticallysignificantdifferencesin
attitudes for the conative, behavioural component of
attitudewithrespecttothegenderofmanagers,graph-
icallypresentedinFigure9.
Itcanbeconcludedthatfemalemanagersshowed
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |61

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
Figure 9 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’GenderfortheConative
ComponentofAttitude
astatisticallysignificantgreateracceptanceofthepro-
ecologicalclaimsofferedcomparedtomalemanagers.
This points to the conclusion that women managers
are more sensitive to participating in environmental
actions and implementing environmental strategies
andplans(seeFigure9).
The post hoc comparisons showed that there is a
statisticallysignificantdifferenceinattitudesofman-
agersdependingonthelevelofeducationcompleted,
andineachofthecomparisonsbetweenthe4groups,
exceptwhencomparingtheattitudesofmanagerswith
completeduniversityeducationwiththosewithpost-
graduateeducation.
FromthedatapresentedinFigure10,itcanbecon-
cluded that the highest degree of acceptance of the
claims, and thus the highest degree of environmen-
talsensitivityintheintentionofbehaviourcomponent
was shown by the managerswith the highest qualifi-
cations, while the lowestresultswererecordedin the
groupwiththelowest,i.e.secondaryeducation.Inthis
way,theimportanceofthecompletedlevelofprevious
educationinformingtheintentionofbehaviourcom-
ponentofattitudeswasconfirmed(seeFigure10).
Respondents’ membership in ngos proved to be
a statistically significant differentiating factor for the
conative, intention of behaviour component of the
managers’attitudes.Managersinvolvedintheworkof
ngos are significantly more pro-ecologically active
Figure 10 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’LevelofEducation
fortheConativeComponentofAttitude
Figure 11 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’Membershipin ngo
fortheConativeComponentofAttitude
in practice, and thus exhibit significantly more pro-
ecologically affirmative attitudes than non-engaged
respondents.
The results presented in Figure 11 could perhaps
be explainedby theassumptionthatthereispositive
feedback between respondents’ engagement in envi-
ronmentalactionsorganizedby ngos andtheirpro-
environmentalintention of behaviour in the tourism
businessentityinwhichtheyholdamanagerialposi-
tion(seeFigure11).
62 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
Figure 12 DifferencesinRespondents’AttitudesShown
inaBoxandWhiskerPlotwithRespect
toRespondents’YearsofWorkExperience
inTourismfortheConativeComponent
ofAttitude
Workexperiencehasbeenshownthroughposthoc
comparisonsasafactorthatleadstoastatisticallysig-
nificantdifferenceinattitudeswhencomparingthree
groupsofrespondentsdependingonlengthofservice,
or when comparing attitudes of those with less than
fiveyearsofservicecomparedtothosewith5–15years
orwithviewsofthosewithover15yearsofservice.
Differenceswerealsoconfirmedwhencomparing
the attitudes of respondents with 5–15 years of expe-
rience comparedwith those with more than15 years.
The datapresentedinFigure12showsthatthegroup
of managers with the most years of experience also
shows in the intention of behaviour component the
highest degree of acceptance or agreement with the
offered statements. This, in practice, means that the
highest pro-ecological intention of behaviour can be
expectedfromthisgroupincomparisonwiththeother
twogroupsofrespondents(seeFigure12).
Discussion
Takingintoaccountallotherenvironmentalproblems,
climatechangehasbecomethebiggestchallengeand
threatto the survival of the human civilization, with
far reaching consequences and a wide influence on
andrelationshipwithvirtuallyeveryaspectofhuman
life.The2014InternationalPanelonClimateChange
stated that ‘it is confirmed with near certainty that
human activities are the dominant cause of global
warming,leadingtomultiplemanifestationsofclimate
change’ (ipcc, 2014). This paper is focused on the
beliefs and attitudes of tourism managers on the in-
terplaybetweenclimatechangeandtourism,because
the selection of a sustainable tourism development
strategy,andparticularlyitsimplementation,isclosely
linkedtothebeliefsandattitudesofkeydecisionmak-
ers.Thatis,theviews,beliefsandattitudesoftopman-
agers, the decision makers,is what the success of the
implementationoftheselectedstrategiesdependson
(Schliephack&Dickinson,2017).Attitudesandbeliefs
areformedintheprocessesofsocializingandareac-
quired directly, based on experience with the object
oftheattitude,orindirectly,throughinteractionwith
the social environment. At the same time, attitudes,
as an acquired tendency to react either positively or
negativelytoexternalpersons,objectsorsituations,or
toone’sownqualities,ideas,oractions,areconnected
tocertainsociodemographiccharacteristics.Thishas
once again been confirmed by our results.Managers’
attitudes and beliefs are essential in planning how to
minimize or mitigatethenegativeimpacts of climate
change on the tourist accommodation industry, be-
cause several authors suggest that unfortunately, no
preventionofnegativetourismimpactispossible,but
it is possible to manage impact better and/or to har-
monize it with the positive. It is always a matter of
optimizing the impact of the tourism, which is real-
izedthroughtheeffectivemanagementoftheimpact
(planninganddevelopmentalprocess)(Gursoyetal.,
2019).
Atthesametime,theirattitudesareimportantfor
implementingmeasuresaimedatminimizingtheim-
pact of how tourism contributes to global warming
throughgreenhousegasemissions,especiallyhotelac-
commodation and lodging, as well as transportation
(Gösslingetal.,2012).
If we desire to make significant changes to en-
sure sustainable development, understanding man-
agers’ attitudes and beliefs is important in order to
understand the risks and opportunities for changing
the‘businessasusual’practicewhichhasbecomeun-
sustainable (Becken & Hay, 2007). Considering the
sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |63

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
andtheircorrelationwiththeviewsexpressed,previ-
ousstudies,e.g.theresultsoftheEurobarometersur-
vey,havealsoshownthatmoreeducatedrespondents
feel well-informed about climate change (its causes,
consequencesandwaysoffightingit),ormoreactively
perceivethephenomenonofclimatechangeasavery
serious problem. They believe that the process may
behalted,thatalternativefuelcanbeusedtocombat
it, and that climate change will have a more positive
impact onthe Europeaneconomy.This is in contrast
torespondentswhospentashortertimeineducation
whodonotthinkclimatechangeisaseriousproblem
(EuropeanCommission,2009).
Theimportanceofhigherlevelsofcompleteded-
ucation fordeveloping environmentalawarenessand
connecting the cognitive with the conative compo-
nent hasbeen previously shown by other researchers
(Bradleyetal.,1999). They foundthatincreasingen-
vironmentalknowledgeinsomeindividualsresultsin
more positive attitudes and environmentally respon-
sibleintentionofbehaviourtowardstheenvironment
(McMillanetal.,2004).Theresultsofthisstudyarein
agreementwiththeresultsofastudyconductedonthe
generalpopulationinCroatia,whichshowedthatthe
level of education is a significant independent factor,
astheresultsindicatethatthelowerthelevelofedu-
cation, the lower the level of environmental concern
(Landauetal.,2009).
Since both consumers and service providers need
todeveloppro-environmentalattitudesandpro-envi-
ronmental intentions of behaviour, the role of in-
formedtourismmanagersasleadersofchangeisvery
important for the further development of tourism.
Empirical research should identify, isolate, and cre-
ate holdersof positive change.The first step is learn-
ing about their attitudes and beliefs, as well as con-
nectingthecognitive,affective,andconativeintention
of behaviour components, to which this research has
contributed. The most important limitations of the
surveyarearelativelypoorresponserateofmanagers
to the call for participation in the survey, and a pos-
sible selection bias, as it could be assumed thatmore
managerswhohavemorepro-environmentalattitudes
participatedinthestudybecausetheyvalueenviron-
mentalissuesmore.
Conclusion
Managers’ attitudes and beliefs are important in or-
der to anticipate, plan and direct the use of mitiga-
tion measures and to manage the negative impacts
of climate change and the tourist accommodation
industry. This research showed that there are very
few managers who are either personally engaged in
an environmental ngo or accept environmental ac-
tivism as their commitment, despite the strong link
between tourism, industry and ecology. The mem-
bership of respondents in an environmental associa-
tionorself-determinedengagementinenvironmental
activism was analysed and 39 (13.78) active mem-
bers of different ngos were observed among the re-
spondents,comparedto244(86.22)whodidnotre-
portmembership oractivist engagementin any ngo
or initiative. When comparing the three components
that are constituents of attitudes in accordance with
the theory of the threefoldstructure of attitudes, the
managers have shown that the most powerful and
positively-oriented was the intention of behaviour
component,followedbythecognitiveandfinallythe
equallypositivelyorientedconativecomponent.Ithas
also been confirmed that the beliefs and attitudes of
managers in tourist accommodation differ based on
their various sociodemographic characteristics. The
results have confirmed that managers in tourist ac-
commodation facilities have established beliefs and
attitudes about the interinfluence of climate change
and tourist accommodation. After scoring the stated
degree of acceptance of individual claims according
totheseven-pointLikertscale,itshowedthespecific
influenceofvarioussociodemographiccharacteristics
on all three components of attitude. The presented
results have shown stronger pro-ecological attitudes
and higher levels of ecological awarenessconcerning
climatechangeamongmanagerswhoareofthefemale
gender, who have completed tertiary education, who
havemoreyearsofworkexperienceandwhoconsider
themselves as environmental activists. The results of
thispaperprovideinsightthatmayberelevantforthe
development of sustainable practices in the tourism
sector and particularly in the hotel industry, as they
contributetounderstandingtheattitudesofkeydeci-
sion makers and can provide the basis for predicting
64 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
theirintentionofbehaviourinrelationtoimplement-
ingenvironmentalprotectionmeasures.
Infutureresearch,itisimportanttostartfromthe
limitationsofthisresearchintwodirections:itisnec-
essarytoconductanewstudyonarepresentativesam-
ple of managers and achieve full turnout in order to
avoid the selection bias present in this research. In
particular,anattemptshouldbemadetocomparethe
stated intentions of behaviour with the field research
regarding the measures actually implemented in the
accommodationfacilitiesthemselves.
References
Ajduković, M., Sladović Franz, B., & Kamenov, Ž. (2005).
Stavovistručnjakasocijalneskrbipremaizdvajanjudjece
izobiteljiiudomiteljstvu.Ljetopis socijalnog rada, 12(1),
39–66.
Ajzen,I.(1985).Fromintentionstoactions:Atheoryof
plannedbehavior.VJ.KuhlinJ.Beckmann(Eds.), Ac-
tion control(pp.11–39).Springer.
Alessandri,G.,&Vecchione,M.(2015).Onthefactorstruc-
tureoftheRosenberg(1965)GeneralSelfEsteemScale.
American Psychological Association, 27(2),621–635.
Amelung,B.,Nicholls,S.,&Viner,D.(2007).Implicationsof
globalclimatechangefortourismflowsandseasonality.
JournalofT ravelResearch,45(3),285–296.
Ančić,B.,Puđak,J.,&Domazet,M.(2016).Vidimolikli-
matske promjene u Hrvatskoj? Istraživanje stavova o
nekim od aspekata klimatskih promjena u hrvatskom
društvu. Hrvatski meteorološki časopis, 51,27–45.
Becken,S.(2019).Decarbonisingtourism:Missionimpossi-
ble? Tourism Recreation Research, 44(4),419–433.
Becken,S.,&Hay,J.E.(2007). Tour i sm and climate change:
Risks and opportunities.ChannelViewPublications.
Becken, S., Whittlesea, E., Loehr, J., & Scott, D. (2020).
Tourism and climate change: Evaluating the extent of
policyintegration. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(10),
1–22.
Bohdanowicz, P. (2005). European hoteliers’ environmen-
tal attitudes: Greening the business. Cornell Hotel and
Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 46(2),188–204.
Bohdanowicz,P.(2006).Environmentalawarenessandini-
tiativesintheSwedishandPolish hotelindustries:Sur-
veyresults. International Journal of Hospitality Manage-
ment, 25(4),662–682.
Bradley ,J.,Campbell,T .,W aliczek,M.,&Zajicek,J.M.
(1999).Relationshipbetweenenvironmentalknowledge
andenvironmentalattitudeofhighschoolstudents.The
Journal of Environmental Education, 30(3),17–21.
Buckley, R. (2011). Tourism and environment. Annual Re-
view of Environmental and Resources, 36,397–416.
Cannonier,C.,&Burke,M.G.(2018).Theeconomicgrowth
impactoftourisminsmallislanddevelopingstates:Evi-
dencefromtheCaribbean.Tour i sm Economics, 2 5(1),85–
108.
Dawson,J.,&Scott,D.(2007).Climatechangevulnerabil-
ityoftheVermontskitorismindustry(usa). Annals of
Leisure Research, 10(3–4),550–572.
Dogru, T., & Bulut, U. (2018). Is tourism an engine for
economic recovery? Theory and empirical evidence.
Tourism Management, 67,425–434.
Dogru,T.,MarchioE.A.,Bulut,U.,&Suess,C.(2019).Cli-
matechange:Vulnerabilityandresilienceoftourismand
theentireeconomy.Tourism Management, 72,292–305.
Dube,K.,&Nhamo,G.(2020).Touristperceptionsandat-
titudesregardingtheimpactsofclimatechangeonVic-
toriaFalls. Bulletin of Geography, Socio-Economic Series,
47(47),27–44.
European Travel Commission. (2018). Tour i sm and climate
change mitigation: Embracing the Paris agreement – path-
ways to decarbonisation.Brussels.
EuropeanCommission.(2009). Europeans’ attitudes towards
climate change: Report(SpecialEurobarometer300).
EuropeanCommission.(2017). Climate change: Report(Spe-
cialEurobarometer459).
Fazio,H.F.(1993).Variabilityinthelikelihoodofautomatic
attitudeactivation:Datareanalysisandcommentaryon
Bargh,Chaiken,Govender,andPratto.Journal of Person-
ality and Social Psychology, 64(5),753–758.
Galeotti, M., & Roson, R. (2012). Economic impacts of cli-
mate change in Italy and the Mediterranean: Updating
the evidence. Journal of Sustainable Development, 5(5),
27–41.
Garay, L., Font, X., & Corrons, A. (2018). Sustainability –
Oriented innovation in tourism: An analysis based on
thedecomposedtheoryofplannedbehaviour.Journal of
Travel Research, 58(4),622–636.
Gössling, S., & Scott, D. (2018). The decarbonisation im-
passe: Global tourism leaders’ views on climate change
mitigation. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(2),1–16.
Gössling, S., Scott, D., & Hall, M. (2013). Challenges of
tourisminalowcarboneconomy.wires ClimateChan-
ge, 4(6),525–538.
Gössling,S.,Scott,D.,Hall,C.M.,Ceron,J.P .,&Dubois,
G.(2012).Consumerbehaviouranddemandresponseof
tourists to climate change. Annals of Tourism Research,
39(1),36–58.
Gursoy, D., Ouyang, Z., Nunkoo, R., & Wei, W. (2019).
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |65

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
Residents’ impact perceptions of and attitudes towards
tourism development: A meta-analysis. Journal of Hos-
pitality Marketing & Management, 28(3),306–333.
Hall,C.M.(2019).Constructingsustainabletourismdevel-
opment: The 2030 Agenda and the managerial ecology
of sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism,
27(7),1044–1060.
Hall,C.M.,Daval,N.,Majstorović,D.,Mills,H.,Paul-
Andrews, L., Wallace, C., & Truong, V. D. (2016). Ac-
commodation consumers and providers attitudes, be-
haviours and practices for sustainability: A systematic
review. Sustainability, 8(625),1–30.
Hambira, W. L., & Saarinen, J. (2015). Policy-makers’ per-
ceptions of the tourism-climate change nexus: Policy
needsandconstraintsinBotswana. Development South-
ern Africa, 32(3),350–362.
Hamilton,J.M.,&Tol,R.S.J.(2007).Theimpactofclimate
changeontourisminGermany,theukandIreland:A
simulation study. Regional Environmental Change, 7(3),
161–172.
Hindley,A.,&Font,X.(2017).Eticsandinfluencesintourist
perceptionsofclimatechange.Current Issues in Tourism,
20(16),1–17.
Hoogendoorn, G., Grant, B., & Fitchett, J. (2015). Towards
greenguesthousesinSouthAfrica:ThecaseofGauteng
andKwaZulu-Natal. South African Geographical Journal,
97(2),123–138.
ipcc.(2014). Climate change 2014: Synthesis report; Contri-
bution of Working Groups i, ii and iii to the Fifth As-
sessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Cli-
mate Change.https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/
2018/02/SYR_AR5_FINAL_full.pdf
Jentos,A.C.,Malone,E.,Mastrangelo,E.,Hardee,K.,&
Bremond, A. (2012). Linking climate change and de-
velopment goals: Framing, integrating and measuring.
Climate and Development, 4(2),141–156.
Joop, R., De Lacy, T., Mair, J., & Fluker, M. (2013). Using a
regionaltourismadaptationframeworktodeterminecli-
matechangeadaptationoptionforVictoria’ssurfcoast.
Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 18(1–2), 144–
164.
Jopp, R., Mair, J., Delacy, T., & Fluker, M. (2015). Climate
change adaptation: Destination management and the
green tourist. Tourism Planning & Development, 12(3),
300–320.
Kocak, E., Ulucak, R., & Şentürk Ulucak, Z. (2020). The
impact of tourism developments on CO
2
emissions.
Tourism Management Perspectives, 33,100611.https://doi
.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2019.100611
Kozak, N., Uysal, M., & Birkan, I. (2008). An analysis of
cities based on tourism supply and climatic conditions
inTurkey. Tour i sm G eog raphic, 10(1),81–97.
Landau,S.,Legro,S.,&Vlašić,S.(2009).Ac l i m a t ef o r
change: Climate change and its impacts on society and
economy in Croatia. undpCroatia.
Legrand,W.,Kirsche,C.,Sloan,P.,&Simons-Kaufmann,C.
(2012).Making202020happen:Isthehospitalityindus-
try mitigating its environmental impacts? The barriers
and motivators that German hoteliers have to invest in
sustainablemanagementstrategiesandtechnologiesand
theirperceptionsofonlineselfhelptoolkits.wit Trans-
actions on Ecology and the Environment, 161,115–126.
Leiserowitz,A.,Edward,W.,Maibach,E.W.,&Roser-Reno-
uf,C.(2018)C l i m a t ec h a n g ei nt h eA m e r i c a nm i n d :
March 2018 Yale project on climate change communi-
cation. George Mason University Center for Climate
ChangeCommunication.
Mahadew,R.,&Appadoo,K.A.(2019).Tourismandclimate
changeinMauritius. Tour i sm Re v ie w, 74(2),204–215.
McMillan, E. E., Wright, T., & Beazley, K. (2004). Impact
ofa university-levelenvironmentalstudiesclassonstu-
dents’ values. The Journal of Environmental Education,
35(3),19–27.
Michailidou, A. V., Vlachokostas, C., & Moussiopoulos, N.
(2016). Interactions between climate change and the
tourismsector:Multiple-criteriadecisionanalysistoas-
sessmitigationandadaptationoptionsintourismareas.
Tourism Managemet, 55,1–12.
Müller,H.,&Weber,F.(2008).Climatechangeandtourism
– Scenario analysis for the Bernese Oberland in 2030.
Tour i sm Re v ie w, 63(3),57–71.
Myers,D.,&Twenge.J.(2016). Loose-leaf for social psychol-
ogy(12thed.).McGraw-HillEducation.
Perić,J.,&ŠverkoGrdić,Z.(2017). Klimatske promjene i tur-
izam.Universityof Rijeka.
Racz, A. (2019). Climate changes as determinants in shap-
ingtourismsupply:Attitudesofmanagement;Doctoral
dissertationsummary. Tourism and Hospitality Manage-
ment, 25(2),439–444.
Rosselló-Nadal,J.(2014).Howtoevaluatetheeffectsofcli-
mate change on tourism. Tourism Management, 42(c),
334–340.
Rutty, M., Scott, D., Johnson, P., Pons, M., Steiger, R., &
Vilella, M. (2017). Using ski industry response to cli-
matic variability to assess climate change risk: An ana-
logue study in eastern Canada. Tourism Management,
58,196–204.
Saarinen,J.,&Rogersion,C.M.(2014).Tourismandthemil-
66 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
lennium development goals: Perspectives beyond 2015.
Tourism Geographies, 16(1),23–30.
Scheyvens,R.,&Hughes,E.(2018).Cantourismhelpto
‘end poverty in all its forms everywhere’? The chal-
lengeoftourismaddressing sdg1. Journal of Sustainable
Tour i sm, 27(7),1061–1079.
Schliephack, J., & Dickinson, J. E. (2017). Tourists’ repre-
sentationsof coastalmanagedrealignmentas a climate
change adaptation strategy. Tourism Management, 59,
182–192.
Scott,D.,&Becken,S.(2010).Adaptingtoclimatechange
and climate policy: Progress, problems and potentials.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18(3),283–295.
Scott,D.,&Brenda,J.(2007).Aregionalcomparisonofthe
implications of climate change for the golf industry in
Canada. The Canadian Geographer, 51(2),219–232.
Scott,D.,&Lemieux,C.(2010).Weatherandclimateinfor-
mationfortourism. Procedia Environmental Science, 1(1),
146–183.
Scott,D.,Hall,S.M.,&Gössling,S.(2019).Globaltourism
vulnerability to climate change. Annals of Tourism Re-
search, 77,49–61.
Sinatra,G. M., Kardash,C. M., Taasoobshirazi,G., & Lon-
bardi, D. (2012). Promoting attitude change and ex-
pressedwillingnesstotakeactiontowardclimatechange
incollegestudents. Instructional Science, 40(1),1–17.
Stern, P. C., & Oskamp, S. (1987). Managing scarce envi-
ronmental resources. In D. Stokols & I. Altman (Eds.),
Handbook of environmental psychology(pp.1044–1088).
Wiley.
Torres-Bagur, M., Palom, A. R., & Vila-Subirós, J. (2019).
Perceptions of climate change and water availability in
theMediterraneantouristsector.InternationalJournal of
Cl i ma t eCh a n geS t r a t egiesa ndM a na gemen t ,11 (4), 552–
569.
Trawoger,L.(2014).Convinced,ambivalentofannoyed:Ty-
roleanskitourismstakeholdersandtheirperceptionsof
climatechange.Tourism Management, 40(1),338–351.
Wajahat,A.,Farah,S.,Tafazal,K.,Hui,L.,Muhammad,Z.,&
KaziSohag.(2020).Acointegrationanalysisofstructural
change,internationaltourismandenergyconsumption
onCO
2
emissioninPakistan. Current Issues in Tourism,
23,1–15.
Wong, R., Jiang, M., Klint, L., DeLacy, T., Harrison, D.,
& Dominey-Howes, D. (2013). Policy environment for
thetourismSector’sadaptationtoclimatechangeinthe
South Pacific– The case of Samoa.Asia Pacific Journal
of Tourism Research, 18(1–2),52–71.
Wyss,R.,&Abegg,B.(2014).Percpetionsofclimatechange
inatourismgovernancecontext. Tourism Management
Perspectives, 11(c),69–76.
Yi-Ping,S.,Hall,M.,&OzanneL.(2013).Hospitalityindus-
tryresponsestoclimatechange:Abenchmarkstudyof
Taiwanese tourist hotels. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism
Research, 18(1–2),92–107.
Appendix:ExploringAttitudesandBeliefsofLeading
ManagersinTourismabouttheReciprocalImpactof
ClimateChangeandTourismandtheEffectofClimate
ChangeonShapingtheTourismOffer
Greetings,
Yourparticipationwillenableinsightintotheattitudesand
beliefsof leadingmanagersin tourism, who areexception-
allyimportantforimplementingmeasuresforadaptingthe
tourismsectortoclimatechange.Thisresearchisconducted
for the purpose of preparing a doctoral thesis within the
scopeoftheManagementofSustainableDevelopmentatthe
FacultyofTourismandHospitalityManagementinOpatija.
As the research is oriented towards manager attitudes, we
kindly ask that the questionnaire be filled by a person at a
managerpositioninyourcompanyand/orobject(owneror
memberoftheexecutiveoroversightboard,director,headof
thedepartmentforenvironmentalprotectionordepartment
ofqualityorsimilar).Weguaranteethattheresultswillonly
beusedforacademicpurposes.Participationintheresearch
is anonymous andvoluntary, andtheresultspresentedwill
notbeabletobetracedtoanypersonorcompanythatfills
inthequestionnaire.Fillinginthequestionnairetakesabout
15minutes.Takingintoconsiderationhowprecioustimecan
be,wethankyouforparticipatingandforyourcontribution.
Thankyouforyourcooperation.
Below are multiple statements concerning climate change,
global warning, and the relationship between tourism and
climatechange.Pleaseexpressthedegreetowhichyouagree
or disagree with each given statement on a scale from 1 to
7, where 1means‘Icompletelydisagree,’4means‘Ineither
agreenordisagree,’and7means‘Icompletelyagreewiththe
statement.Pleasemarkonlyoneresponsetoeachstatement.
1. Climatechangeisaseriousglobalissue
2. Economy andtourism canbe strengthenedandem-
ploymentincreasedbyfightingclimatechangeanda
moreefficientuseofenergy
3. Theimpactoftourismaccommodationonpollution
isnegligiblecomparedtothebenefititbringstothe
localcommunity
4. Climatechangeinthenearfuturewillhaveasignifi-
canteffectonshapinganddevelopingthetourismof-
ferinCroatia
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |67

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
5. Globalwarmingispredominantlycausedbyhuman
activity
6. Globalwarmingiscausedbyactivitiesrelatedtonat-
uralcausesandclimatevariationregardlessofhuman
activity
7. The total impact of tourism on global warming and
climatechangeissignificantlylowerthantheimpact
fromothereconomicactivities
8. Climatechangeandglobalwarmingwillendangerfu-
turegenerations
9. Globalwarmingisnotactuallyhappeningatall
10. The hotel and tourism industries are big spenders
whenitcomestoenergyandotherresources
11. The tourism industry dependson a preserved envi-
ronment as a resource, while, paradoxically,it nega-
tivelyaffectstheenvironmentatthesametime
12. Environmental protection, in the sense of reducing
globalwarming,isparamountforthesustainablede-
velopmentoftourism
13. It is important that the Government sets national
goalsforincreasingtheuseofrenewableenergysuch
aswindorsolarenergy
14. Implementingtheprinciples of sustainabledevelop-
mentinbusinesspracticesisanimportantsourceof
competitiveadvantage
15. Scientistsdonothaveaclearanswerregardingwhat
causesglobalwarming
16. ItisimportantthattheGovernmentcontinuouslyse-
curesresourcesonthenationalleveltosupport pro-
grammesforraisingenergyefficiency
17. Climate change is already significantly defining and
changing the development of tourism offers world-
wide
18. Climatechangecouldendangermyselfpersonallyor
myfamily
19. Climatechangecausesinsecurityregardingsuccess-
fulbusinessintourism
20. Anindividualispowerlessandhelplessinthebattle
againstclimatechange
21. Pollutionisanunavoidableconsequenceofdevelop-
ment
22. Even if climate change is happening, changes in the
environment, such as a rise in average temperature,
aresoslowthatthereisnoreasontobeconcerned
23. Over the last six months, I personally supported or
participated in activities focused on mitigating cli-
matechange
24. Whenmakingachoiceforpurchasinganewvehicle,
low fuel consumption andecologicalparametersare
moreimportanttomethanthevehicle’sprice
25. When building a new object or refurbishing an ex-
istingobject, it is important for me to be guided by
theconceptoflowenergyconsumption,regardlessof
higherinitialinvestments
26. Whenchoosinganenergysupplier,ifIhadthechoice,
Iwould choose thesupplier providing ahigherper-
centageofpowerfromrenewablesources,regardless
ofhigherprices
27. I try to reduce packaging waste by buying products
withrecyclablepackaging
28. Itrytobuylocalfoodproductsfromlocalproducers,
eventhoughthemarketofferscheaperproductsfrom
otherproducersorimportedproducts
29. When buying a new electronic or household appli-
ance, I choose primarily based on energy efficiency
andenergyclass
30. EverydayItrytoreducewaterandenergyconsump-
tion
Ona scale from 1to7, pleasemarkto whichdegreethink-
ingaboutclimatechangeandglobalwarmingcausesyouto
feelthestatedemotions,whereamarkof1means‘doesnot
causethestatedemotionatall,’whileamarkof7means‘very
stronglycausesthestatedemotion.’
31. Fear
32. Anger
33. Helplessness
34. Indifference
35. Anxiety
36. Excitement
Herearesomestatementsregardingglobalissuesaroundthe
world,includingclimatechange.Pleaseanswerthefollowing
questionsbyselectingoneormoreoftheanswersprovided.
37. Whichofthefollowingproblemsdoyouconsiderto
be the currently most serious issue thatthe world is
facing?(Note:Pleaseselectonlyoneanswer.)
a) Climatechange
b) Internationalterrorism
c) Poverty,famineandlackofdrinkablewater
d) Spreadofinfectiousdiseases
e) Economiccrisis
f) Proliferationofnuclearweapons
g) Armedconflictsandtherefugeecrisis
h) Globalincreaseofpopulation
i) Noneoftheabove
j) Icannotanswerthequestion
38. Whatelse,inadditiontoyouranswertoquestion37,
doyouconsidertobeseriousissuesthattheworldis
68 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
currently facing? (Note: Please select no more than
threeanswersfrom options1–9,oroneanswerfrom
options10or11.)
a) Climatechange
b) Internationalterrorism
c) Poverty,famineandlackofdrinkablewater
d) Spreadofinfectiousdiseases
e) Economiccrisis
f) Proliferationofnuclearweapons
g) Armedconflictsandtherefugeecrisis
h) Globalincreaseofpopulation
i) Recessionandeconomiccrisis
j) Noneoftheabove
k) Icannotanswerthequestion
39. Accordingtoyouropinion,whointhe eu isthemost
responsible for the struggle against climate change?
(Note:Pleaseselectonlyoneanswer.)
a) Nationalgovernments
b) EuropeanUnion
c) Regionalandlocalgovernments
d) Individualpeople
e) Environmentalgroupsandmovements
f) Globalcorporations
g) Someoneorsomethingelse
h) Alloftheabove
i) Noneoftheabove
j) Icannotanswerthequestion
40. Thefollowinglistcontainsproceduresandactivities
thatcanbedonetoreduceenergyconsumptionand
affectclimatechange.Pleaseselectalloptionsthat...
what?
a) Primarywasteselectionandseparationforcollec-
tion
b) Automaticairconditioningcontrolwhenopening
windowsinaccommodationunits
c) Limitingthetemperatureinaccommodationunits
duringthedayandatnight
d) Reducingexternalambientlightinglateatnight
e) Reducing energy consumption (sauna tempera-
ture,jacuzzi,airtemperatureandsimilar)inwell-
ness and spa zones at times when there are no
guests
f) Drivingvehiclesthatuserenewableenergysources
for transporting guests and goods within the ac-
commodationcomplex
g) Availabilityofbicyclesandsimilarmeansoftrans-
portationtoreducetheuseofcarsinplaceofres-
idence
h) Limitingtheuseofchemicalproductswhenmain-
tainingproperty
i) Implementingaprogrammeforreusingbedlinen
andtowelsinagreementwithguests
j) Installingreductionvalves,sinksandshowersthat
savetimeandwater
k) Securing apart of theenergyrequirements from
ownsources(solarpanelsandsimilar)
l) Encouraging guests to reduce waste generation
concerningunusedfoodandleftoversfrommeals
m) Recyclingandreusingwastewheneverpossible
n) Purchasing food products from local suppliers
wheneverpossible
o) Donatingscrappedequipment,technology,furni-
ture,consumablesuppliesandsimilartothelocal
community
p) Redistributingexcessfoodtoemployeesorthelo-
calcommunity
q) Designing leaflets to remind guests to use re-
sources(energy,food,water,...)responsibly
Please describe the characteristics of the tourism object in
whichyouholdthemanagerposition
•
Locationofobject
1. AdriaticCroatia
2. ContinentalCroatia
•
Type of business
1. Seasonalbusiness
2. Year-roundbusiness
•
Sizeofobject
1. Small(≤50rooms/units)
2. Medium(51–100rooms/units)
3. Big(>100rooms/units)
•
Availablepool,fitness,spaand/orwellnessorsimilar
1. Yes
2. No
•
Category
1. 2-star
2. 3-star
3. 4-star
4. 5-star
•
Type of object
1. Hotelorresorthotel
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |69

AleksandarRaczetal. Managers’Perspectives
2. Holidayvillage
3. Camp
4. Marina
•
Primaryreasonforguestscomingtoyourobject
1. Congress/businesstourism
2. Restandrecreationaltourism
3. Healthandwellnesstourism
4. Other
•
Type of guests
1. Individualguest
2. Familyguests
3. Organizedgroups
4. Other
•
Typeofownership
1. Individualobject
2. Part of a larger chain of tourism objects (part of
domesticorinternationalcorporationorgroup)
3. Other
•
Having a written Environmental Protection Policy,
eitherasanindividualdocumentoraspartofacur-
rentlyvalidqualityassurancecertificate.
1. Yes
2. No
Sociodemographicinformationabouttheparticipant
•
Gender
1. Male
2. Female
•
Educationlevel
1. Middle
2. Higher,undergraduate
3. High
4. Postgraduatedegree
•
Membership in pro-environmental organization or
activeenvironmentalactivism
1. Yes
2. No
•
Yearsofworkexperienceintourism
1. Lessthan5years
2. 5–15years
3. Morethan15years
•
Participant’slevelofresponsibility
1. Executive or Oversight Board member/Member
ofobject’sstrategicmanagementorownergroup
2. Director/Objectmanager/Memberofobject’sop-
erativemanagement
3. Head of Quality/Head of Environmental Protec-
tion
4. Middlemanagement
5. Other
70 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021