Enhancing pro-environmental behavior in tourism: Integrating attitudinal factors and Norm Activation Theory

Abstract

This research utilizes the Norm Activation Theory to explore tourists' pro-environmental behavior. The study has two parts: the first qualitatively explores constructs predicting visitors' pro-environmental behavior, while the second quantitatively measures pro-environmental behaviors and individual attitudes through a survey. Since augmented reality (AR) is transforming sustainable tourism by offering interactive educational experiences, during EXPO 2020 in Dubai, 1506 participants who engaged with AR were surveyed electronically from October 2021 to May 2022. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test hypotheses. The results suggest that tourists' environmental values and sensitivity enhance their responsibility aspirations, with awareness of tourism's negative environment and mitigation knowledge moderating the effects of responsibility aspirations on personal norms and pro-environmental behavior, respectively, while personal norms mediate the relationship between responsibility aspirations and pro-environmental behavior. These insights are valuable for tourism stakeholders, policymakers, and organizations aiming to promote environmental sustainability in the industry.