Untangling adaptive capacity in tourism: a narrative and systematic review

Abstract

Abstract This study examines peer-reviewed literature on adaptive capacity (AC) in tourism under the condition of climate change adaptation for the publication period of 1990–2019. We analyze and visualize existing research using a combined approach of narrative and systematic reviews and employing software such as NVIVO 12, Python 3.8, and Gephi 0.9.2. We first investigate policy transitions toward sustainable adaptation in tourism and then analyze the systematization of tourism reflected in the definitions of AC. Next, we conduct an in-depth analysis of evolutions in tourism adaptation by interpreting the occurrences and interactions of three main streams of AC: resource, social-psychological, socio-ecological. We conclude that diverse methodologies in tourism research on adaptation contribute to augmenting the quantitative measurement of social factors influencing AC. The findings provide insights into how to improve the adaptation process and advance germane theoretical debates, particularly on the role of human factors in human–nature relationships aimed at developing sustainability.