Despite its widespread use, the concept of sustainable tourism remains ambiguously defined, unevenly operationalised and is increasingly marked by a sense of fatigue generated through overuse. This presentation begins by asking two foundational questions:
what do we really mean by sustainable tourism, and why does sustainable tourism matter?
Rather than treating sustainability as a technical or managerial goal, the paper approaches it as a potentially individualised project, whereby tourist guides occupy a pivotal yet under-recognised position in advancing more sustainable tourism practices. The presentation explores how tourist guides function as critical intermediaries of sustainable tourism in two key ways. First, as connectors to place, guides facilitate meaningful encounters through their knowledge of local histories, products, and services, helping redirect tourist consumption toward practices that strengthen local value chains. Second, as informers of place, guides can communicate political, social, and environmental issues through critical storytelling, situating tourism within wider socio-environmental contexts. By moving beyond depoliticised or romanticised narratives, guides have the potential to foster reflexivity, empathy, and more responsible orientations to place. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications of recognising guides as central actors in rethinking sustainable tourism practice.