ABSTRACT
Small island developing states are in dire need of solutions to adapt to climate change and to mitigate its harmful impacts. Many such islands are renowned for their sun, sand, and sea and they are the destinations that tourists aspire to travel to. The study will focus on one such island – Mauritius – located in the midst of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is today facing the dreadful consequences of climate change. Consequently, the day-to-day operations of several of its industries are becoming unpredictable, and one of them is the tourism industry. New tourism promotional tactics emphasizing that it is now the last chance to visit a disappearing paradise are sadly emerging. Promoters of tourism are today focusing on green and eco-friendly practices because many believe that the previous ones may have harmed the planet and been the cause of climate change. Some oppose this by stating that there are other causes of climate change which are impacting this flourishing industry and turning it upside down. Although it is important to understand who or what is causing climate change, there is a pressing need to sensitize all stakeholders of the tourism industry, and especially the primary ones, who are the tourists themselves. This would permit them to contribute to both adaption and mitigation as response strategies to climate change and its impacts. A qualitative research methodology was adopted, which helped to shed light on the awareness methods used to sensitize tourists about the ‘slow time bomb’ known as climate change.
