The concept of sustainable development has become a mainstream idea in the governance and management of travel and tourism. Over the past two decades it has attracted considerable attention and debate. While the principles of sustainable development have been widely welcomed, one of the enduring questions has been the extent to which the principles have been embedded into policy and practice? Put another way, does acknowledgement of the need to act translate into definite action? Perhaps not always or indeed as intended, would appear to be the answer. In recent work on the demand-side, Barr et al (2010) have noted the existence of what they term an ‘Intention-Behaviour Gap’ among tourists. In and around the home many citizens have adopted sustainable practices which guide their travel intentions, but these have not necessarily been reflected in their holiday choices or behaviours when travelling or at destinations (see also Dickinson et al 2010; Hares et al 2010; Miller et al 2010). In particular, the emergence of low-fares aviation has encouraged consumers to suspend and/or switch behaviours (Barr et al 2011) or to undertake even more carbon-intensive, ‘binge’ travel (Cohen et al 2011), as it has also been perceived among aviation stakeholders (Coles et al 2011).