Adaptive Governance for Tourism Resilience Under Climate Change: A Systematic Review of the Literature (2015–2025)

Li, Ziming and Yang, Jie and Jamaludin, Muhammad Ikhwan (2026) Adaptive Governance for Tourism Resilience Under Climate Change: A Systematic Review of the Literature (2015–2025). MODERN GEOGRÁFIA, 21 (3). pp. 101-121. ISSN 2062-1655

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Abstract

Climate change poses escalating risks to tourism destinations by undermining climate-sensitive resources, disrupting socio-economic systems, and challenging existing governance arrangements. Although social-ecological resilience and adaptive governance have become prominent concepts in tourism research, their application remains fragmented across contexts and scales. This study presents a PRISMA-guided systematic review of 30 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025 that examine climate change adaptation in tourism destinations through these two lenses. Using qualitative thematic synthesis, the review consolidates how resilience and governance are conceptualised and operationalised across diverse destination types and regions. Three recurring patterns emerge: the widespread treatment of destinations as coupled social-ecological systems; the central role of multi-level and participatory governance in shaping adaptive responses; and the growing recognition that adaptation outcomes are closely linked to equity, power relations, and justice. At the same time, the evidence base remains uneven, with a strong focus on coastal and island destinations and limited attention to inland and urban tourism systems, adaptation failures, and long-term institutional change. Rather than proposing new models, this review synthesises existing evidence to clarify current knowledge boundaries and identify priorities for future research and policy aimed at advancing inclusive and context-sensitive climate adaptation in tourism destinations.

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