Structural barriers and global inequities hinder eco‑conscious tourists from paying for greener holidays, revealing tourism’s growth‑first paradigm

Indigenous knowledge systems emphasize reciprocity with land and view travel as a practice of stewardship rather than consumption. Examples include the Sámi reindeer‑herding tourism cooperatives in Scandinavia and the Amazonian community‑based lodges that allocate revenues to forest protection. Integrating such perspectives shifts the focus from individual willingness to pay to collective responsibility for ecosystem health.