The sound of sustainability: how travel podcasts guide listeners toward sustainable tourism practices

Tourism has evolved into a lifestyle and livelihood phenomenon for a significant proportion of the global population. Despite decades of debate and theoretical as well as practical efforts related to sustainable tourism development, its implementation remains difficult. In the context of the ongoing growth and development of the tourism industry, it is imperative to prioritise sustainable practices that mitigate adverse environmental, social, and economic impacts. In this context, sustainable tourism podcasts have the potential to serve as a medium for education and inspiration, guiding travellers towards responsible decision-making. Podcasts represent a distinctive medium for the dissemination of educational content to a broad audience. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the educational potential of podcasts in promoting sustainable travel. The present study employs a combination of ten audio podcasts and empirical approaches, utilising heuristic and multi-criteria methods, namely the Delphi method, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The findings suggest that sustainable tourism podcasts act as a medium for promoting education and motivating travellers to make responsible decisions. It is evident that this contributes to the expansion of conscious travel in support of sustainable tourism. By prioritising sustainable tourism practices, the negative impacts on the environment, local communities, and the economy can be minimised, ensuring a more sustainable future for the tourism industry.