Domestic Cycling Tourism: Double Pollution, Greenhushing, and Slovenian Sustainable Travel

Sergej Gričar (), Štefan Bojnec and Violeta Šugar
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Sergej Gričar: Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, University of Novo Mesto, Na Loko 2, 8000 Novo Mesto, Slovenia
Štefan Bojnec: Faculty of Management, University of Primorska, Izolska vrata 2, 6000 Koper, Slovenia
Violeta Šugar: Faculty of Economics and Tourism Dr. Mijo Mirković, Juraj Dobrila University in Pula, Petra Preradovića 1, 52100 Pula, Croatia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-24

Abstract: This study investigates the environmental and socioeconomic dimensions of domestic cycling tourism in Slovenia, focusing on “double pollution” and “greenhushing” practices. The aim is to evaluate the sustainability of cycling tourism by examining its indirect environmental impacts, particularly emissions from ancillary travel behaviours such as car usage to reach cycling destinations. Utilizing data from 2011 to 2021, this research employs factor analyses using the principal component analysis (PCA) extraction method and vector autoregression (VAR) modelling to explore relationships between key socioeconomic, environmental, and tourism-related variables. This study identifies three common factors influencing cycling tourism: (1) socioeconomic and urban dynamics, (2) tourism-driven environmental factors, and (3) climatic sustainability challenges. Results highlight that cycling tourism contributes to emissions due to associated car travel, counteracting its eco-friendly image. Findings reveal that favourable economic conditions and urbanisation drive tourism demand, while increased tourist arrivals correlate with higher emissions. This study also uncovers greenhushing, where stakeholders underreport the environmental costs of cycling tourism, leading to mistaken perceptions of its sustainability. This study concludes that, while domestic cycling tourism supports economic growth and health, its environmental benefits are compromised by ancillary emissions. Transparent environmental reporting, enhanced public transport, and local bike rental systems are recommended to mitigate these challenges and align cycling tourism with Slovenia’s sustainability goals.

Keywords: bicycles; greenwashing; greenhushing; sustainability; tourism; vector autoregression (VAR) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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