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A Hyper-Monster at the Gate: Conceptualising Climate Change in Tourism Studies Through Monster Theory

Viachaslau Filimonau & Hakan Sezerel

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research2026https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480251415228article
AJG 2ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This paper introduces monster theory as a novel theoretical lens to conceptualise climate change within tourism studies. It argues that climate change represents a “hyper-monster,” a vast, systemic entity whose presence reveals the tourism industry’s deepest anxieties and challenges it with an existential crisis. Drawing on the monster theory’s core theses, the paper analyses how climate change embodies societal fears and threatens tourism’s future. It explores how this monster is born of global (in)difference and systematic injustice, controls the boundaries of what is possible for global travel, and paradoxically generates contradictory demands, such as “last chance tourism.” By framing climate change as a hyper-monstrous force, the paper presents a novel analytical framework for tourism and its (un)sustainability in the Anthropocene.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480251415228

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@article{viachaslau2026,
  title        = {{A Hyper-Monster at the Gate: Conceptualising Climate Change in Tourism Studies Through Monster Theory}},
  author       = {Viachaslau Filimonau & Hakan Sezerel},
  journal      = {Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480251415228},
}

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A Hyper-Monster at the Gate: Conceptualising Climate Change in Tourism Studies Through Monster Theory

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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