“I recycle, I turn out the lights”: understanding the everyday sustainability practices of backpackers

Abstract

As holidays merge more intimately with the everyday lives of an increasing number of people, questions of sustainability in tourism contexts become ever more urgent. Using the concept of everyday practices, in which sustainability is thought to emerge in the routines of people going about their day-to-day lives, this mixed-method study aimed to understand how sustainability figures in the practices, of backpackers. Findings revealed sustainability to be of minimal concern to most backpackers who nevertheless performed a range of sustainable practices but unintentionally. Environmental sustainability was practised via reduced resource consumption and waste, economic sustainability by working and spending more money overall than other tourist types, and social sustainability through demonstrating cultural respect and community participation. The main factors encouraging sustainable practices amongst backpackers were their low-budget focus and their use as a labour source by industries that require temporary and flexible workers. When backpackers were employed, each facet of sustainability became mutually reinforcing. The results of this study are in contrast to usual perceptions of tourism as a time in which norms of sustainable behaviour are suspended, as backpacking was found to provide opportunities for the performance of more sustainable practices compared to home.

‘我循环，我灌关灯’：理解背包客的日常可持续实践

随着节假日在越来越多人的日常生活中出现的更加频繁，旅游业的可持续发展问题变得更加紧迫。通过运用日常实践的概念，这个混合方法研究致力于理解可持续发展性数据在背包客的实践中是怎么样的。日常可持续是指可持续出现在人们日常生活的例程中。发现表明大多数背包客基本不考虑可持续性，但是却无意地在一定程度上表现了出来。环境可持续通过减少资源消费和浪费被实践，经济可持续通过工作和花比其他游客更多的钱来实现，社会可持续通过表现文化尊重和社会参与来实现。鼓励背包客实践可持续的主要因素是他们对预算的低关注度以及在可以在行业要求短期和灵活的员工时作为劳动力资源。当背包客们被雇佣时，可持续的各个层面被加强。通常的观念认为在旅游中规范的可持续行为会暂停。但是这个研究的结果与传统观念正相反。因为相比较在家里，背包旅行被发现为更多的可持续实践提供了机会。

Keywords:

• mixed methods
• economic sustainability
• social sustainability
• everyday practices
• backpacking
• Australia

关键字:

• 混合方法
• 经济可持续
• 社会可持续
• 日常实践
• 背包旅行
• 澳大利亚。

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Lisa Palmer, Kathryn Williams, and Judith Mair for helpful comments on previous drafts. I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for the attention paid to my manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benjamin Lucca Iaquinto

Benjamin Lucca Iaquinto is a doctoral student in the Department of Resource Management and Geography at the University of Melbourne. His research connects the study of backpackers with sustainability, practice theory, mobilities, and place.