"Turism kan bli ett problem, om det inte redan är det" : En kvalitativ studie om Last-Chance Tourism och resebeteende vid Belize barriärrev

Sammanfattning: Last-Chance Tourism is a phenomenon that refers to a destination that is threatened by increasing tourism or climate change. The eagerness to visit these destinations before it is too late is a huge attraction-factor for tourists nowadays. The purpose of this bachelor thesis has been to create an understanding of what type of behaviour that threatens destinations. This study has used a qualitative research method with the help of 12 interview questions that were sent out to tourists that have visited Belize Barrier Reef. The used approach has been deductive and the empirical data was collected from nine informants. The results showed that there are several factors behind the type of behaviour that leads to a destination being threatened. Even though Last-Chance Tourism is a relatively unknown expression, the tourists` values and active choice seem to be significant parameters influencing how tourists` behavior might damage a destination. One conclusion is that tourists need to take a greater responsibility for their actions when they are traveling and by doing so, the environmental impact could be lessened and the social gap between the tourist and the local could decrease. We hope that our study contributes to further in-depth research to understand Last-Chance Tourism, and by doing so, generate an increase in tourists` awareness of the negative impacts.