[go: up one dir, main page]
IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i20p8545-d428789.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Millennial Tourists’ Environmentally Sustainable Behavior Towards a Natural Protected Area: An Integrative Framework

Author

Listed:
  • Farzana Sharmin

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240, China
    Farzana Sharmin and Mohammad Tipu Sultan equally contributed as the first author to this work.)

  • Mohammad Tipu Sultan

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240, China
    Farzana Sharmin and Mohammad Tipu Sultan equally contributed as the first author to this work.)

  • Alina Badulescu

    (Department of Economics and Business, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania)

  • Dorin Paul Bac

    (Department of Economics and Business, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania)

  • Benqian Li

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), No. 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240, China)

Abstract
In the last few years, natural protected areas have been facing great challenges and degradation around the world. Among this, environmental sustainability has become a priority to create harmony between tourists and nature. Tourists visiting protected areas are becoming progressively more concerned regarding the environment. Moreover, the United Nations (UN) “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” have highlighted the potential role of young tourists to contribute to sustainable tourism. However, very few studies have focused on tourists’ environmentally sustainable behavior towards natural protected areas. To fill the existing gap in the literature, this study aims to provide a theoretical framework that includes environmental sustainability awareness (ESA) in measuring millennial tourists’ environmentally sustainable behavior (ESB). Thus, this study delivers an integrated approach based on the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory and the concept of the new ecological paradigm (NEP) towards protected areas. A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted from one of the protected areas located in the north of Sichuan province of China, and 511 responses were obtained for statistical analysis. Results of the structural statistical analysis showed that the unified model includes a satisfactory level of predictive power for tourists’ ESB, which was superior to existing theories and concepts. The findings also revealed that all proposed relationships of the variables were significant and identified the positive influence of environmental sustainability awareness in generating the ESB. This study contributes towards sustainable tourism development and the conservation of protected areas, with several practical implications for local authorities in terms of millennial participation.

Suggested Citation

  • Farzana Sharmin & Mohammad Tipu Sultan & Alina Badulescu & Dorin Paul Bac & Benqian Li, 2020. "Millennial Tourists’ Environmentally Sustainable Behavior Towards a Natural Protected Area: An Integrative Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-24, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8545-:d:428789
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/20/8545/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/20/8545/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. César Tapia-Fonllem & Victor Corral-Verdugo & Blanca Fraijo-Sing & Maria Fernanda Durón-Ramos, 2013. "Assessing Sustainable Behavior and its Correlates: A Measure of Pro-Ecological, Frugal, Altruistic and Equitable Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-13, February.
    2. Weaver, David B. & Lawton, Laura J., 2017. "A new visitation paradigm for protected areas," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 140-146.
    3. Juvan, Emil & Dolnicar, Sara, 2016. "Measuring environmentally sustainable tourist behaviour," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 30-44.
    4. Mengtian Cao & Li Peng & Shaoquan Liu, 2015. "Analysis of the Network of Protected Areas in China Based on a Geographic Perspective: Current Status, Issues and Integration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(11), pages 1-15, November.
    5. Matsiori, Steriani K., 2020. "Application of the New Environmental Paradigm to Greece: A critical case study," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 335-344.
    6. Chiu, Yen-Ting Helena & Lee, Wan-I. & Chen, Tsung-Hsiung, 2014. "Environmentally responsible behavior in ecotourism: Antecedents and implications," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 321-329.
    7. Juan Carlos Valdivieso & Paul F.J. Eagles & Joan Carles Gil, 2015. "Efficient management capacity evaluation of tourism in protected areas," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(9), pages 1544-1561, September.
    8. Cong, Li & Wu, Bihu & Morrison, Alastair M. & Shu, Hua & Wang, Mu, 2014. "Analysis of wildlife tourism experiences with endangered species: An exploratory study of encounters with giant pandas in Chengdu, China," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 300-310.
    9. Wei-Ta Fang & Eric Ng & Ching-Ming Wang & Ming-Lin Hsu, 2017. "Normative Beliefs, Attitudes, and Social Norms: People Reduce Waste as an Index of Social Relationships When Spending Leisure Time," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Lee Cronbach, 1951. "Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 16(3), pages 297-334, September.
    11. Ballantyne, Roy & Packer, Jan & Falk, John, 2011. "Visitors’ learning for environmental sustainability: Testing short- and long-term impacts of wildlife tourism experiences using structural equation modelling," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1243-1252.
    12. Verma, Vivek Kumar & Chandra, Bibhas & Kumar, Sumit, 2019. "Values and ascribed responsibility to predict consumers' attitude and concern towards green hotel visit intention," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 206-216.
    13. Michael W. Slimak & Thomas Dietz, 2006. "Personal Values, Beliefs, and Ecological Risk Perception," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1689-1705, December.
    14. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    15. Yong Gu & Jie Du & Ya Tang & Xue Qiao & Carla Bossard & Guiping Deng, 2013. "Challenges for sustainable tourism at the Jiuzhaigou World Natural Heritage site in western China," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 37(2), pages 103-112, May.
    16. Ojea, Elena & Loureiro, Maria L., 2007. "Altruistic, egoistic and biospheric values in willingness to pay (WTP) for wildlife," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(4), pages 807-814, September.
    17. Xianwei Liu & Yang Zou & Jianping Wu, 2018. "Factors Influencing Public-Sphere Pro-Environmental Behavior among Mongolian College Students: A Test of Value–Belief–Norm Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.
    18. Ezlika M. Ghazali & Bang Nguyen & Dilip S. Mutum & Su-Fei Yap, 2019. "Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Value-Belief-Norm Theory: Assessing Unobserved Heterogeneity of Two Ethnic Groups," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-28, June.
    19. Yong Gu & Jie Du & Ya Tang & Xue Qiao & Carla Bossard & Guiping Deng, 2013. "Challenges for sustainable tourism at the Jiuzhaigou World Natural Heritage site in western China," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 0(2), pages 103-112, May.
    20. Fuller, Christie M. & Simmering, Marcia J. & Atinc, Guclu & Atinc, Yasemin & Babin, Barry J., 2016. "Common methods variance detection in business research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 3192-3198.
    21. Xiang, Zheng & Magnini, Vincent P. & Fesenmaier, Daniel R., 2015. "Information technology and consumer behavior in travel and tourism: Insights from travel planning using the internet," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 244-249.
    22. Miao He & An Cliquet, 2020. "Challenges for Protected Areas Management in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-29, July.
    23. Han, Heesup, 2015. "Travelers' pro-environmental behavior in a green lodging context: Converging value-belief-norm theory and the theory of planned behavior," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 164-177.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhihui Wang & Liangzhen Nie & Eila Jeronen & Lihua Xu & Meiai Chen, 2023. "Understanding the Environmentally Sustainable Behavior of Chinese University Students as Tourists: An Integrative Framework," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Sofia Gomes & João M. Lopes, 2023. "Insights for Pro-Sustainable Tourist Behavior: The Role of Sustainable Destination Information and Pro-Sustainable Tourist Habits," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Kai Wang & Menghan Wang & Chang Gan & Qinchang Chen & Mihai Voda, 2021. "Tourism Economic Network Structural Characteristics of National Parks in the Central Region of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-19, April.
    4. Panji Suminar & Jalan Raya Kandang Limun, 2024. "Assessing the Green Behaviour of Generation Z: An Indonesia Case," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(3), pages 2311-2329, March.
    5. Eunseong Jeong & Taesoo Lee & Alan Dixon Brown & Sara Choi & Minyoung Son, 2021. "Does a National Park Enhance the Environment-Friendliness of Tourists as an Ecotourism Destination?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-16, August.
    6. Hongping Zhang & Heather J. Gibson, 2021. "Long-Term Impact of Study Abroad on Sustainability-Related Attitudes and Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    7. Jiantao Zhang & Li Jin & Xinning Pan & Yang Wang, 2024. "Pro-Environmental Behavior of Tourists in Ecotourism Scenic Spots: The Promoting Role of Tourist Experience Quality in Place Attachment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-22, October.
    8. Keying Ding & Mian Yang & Shixian Luo, 2021. "Mountain Landscape Preferences of Millennials Based on Social Media Data: A Case Study on Western Sichuan," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-17, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhihui Wang & Liangzhen Nie & Eila Jeronen & Lihua Xu & Meiai Chen, 2023. "Understanding the Environmentally Sustainable Behavior of Chinese University Students as Tourists: An Integrative Framework," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Meng-Tsung Lee & Jen-Ming Liu & Elaine Q. Borazon, 2020. "Evaluating the Effect of Perceived Value of Ecosystem Services on Tourists’ Behavioral Intentions for Aogu Coastal Wetland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Shiwei Shen & Marios Sotiriadis & Qing Zhou, 2020. "Could Smart Tourists Be Sustainable and Responsible as Well? The Contribution of Social Networking Sites to Improving Their Sustainable and Responsible Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, February.
    4. Phu Nguyen-Van & Anne Stenger & Tuyen Tiet, 2021. "Social incentive factors in interventions promoting sustainable behaviors: A meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-27, December.
    5. Ju Hyoung Han & Andy S. Choi & Chi-Ok Oh, 2018. "The Effects of Environmental Value Orientations and Experience-Use History on the Conservation Value of a National Park," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, September.
    6. Nketiah, Emmanuel & Song, Huaming & Obuobi, Bright & Adu-Gyamfi, Gibbson & Adjei, Mavis & Cudjoe, Dan, 2022. "Citizens' willingness to pay for local anaerobic digestion energy: The influence of altruistic value and knowledge," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    7. Xumin Zhang & Hayk Khachatryan, 2023. "Does the Perceived Effectiveness of Voluntary Conservation Programs Affect Household Adoption of Sustainable Landscaping Practices?," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-17, July.
    8. Dionysis Skarmeas & Constantinos N. Leonidou & Charalampos Saridakis & Giuseppe Musarra, 2020. "Pathways to Civic Engagement with Big Social Issues: An Integrated Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(2), pages 261-285, June.
    9. Xiaocheng Vicky Zhang & Suk Ha Grace Chan, 2021. "Do Knowledge and Experience Value Affect Green Tourism Activity Participation and Buying Decision? A Case Study of Natural Dyeing Experience in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-18, July.
    10. Mohammad Tipu Sultan & Farzana Sharmin & Alina Badulescu & Darie Gavrilut & Ke Xue, 2021. "Social Media-Based Content towards Image Formation: A New Approach to the Selection of Sustainable Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-22, April.
    11. Mohd Azhar & Sehar Nafees & Sujood & Sheeba Hamid, 2023. "Understanding post-pandemic travel intention toward rural destinations by expanding the theory of planned behavior (TPB)," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-17, December.
    12. Samah Ibnou-Laaroussi & Husam Rjoub & Wing-Keung Wong, 2020. "Sustainability of Green Tourism among International Tourists and Its Influence on the Achievement of Green Environment: Evidence from North Cyprus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-24, July.
    13. Faiq Aziz & Ahmad Aizuddin Md Rami & Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh & Seyedali Ahrari, 2021. "Effects of Emotions and Ethics on Pro-Environmental Behavior of University Employees: A Model Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, June.
    14. Diana Puspita Sari & Nur Aini Masruroh & Anna Maria Sri Asih, 2021. "Consumer Intention to Participate in E-Waste Collection Programs: A Study of Smartphone Waste in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-28, March.
    15. Patel, Jayesh D. & Trivedi, Rohit H. & Yagnik, Arpan, 2020. "Self-identity and internal environmental locus of control: Comparing their influences on green purchase intentions in high-context versus low-context cultures," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    16. Heesup Han & Amr Al-Ansi & Bee-Lia Chua & Beenish Tariq & Aleksandar Radic & Su-hyun Park, 2020. "The Post-Coronavirus World in the International Tourism Industry: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Safer Destination Choices in the Case of US Outbound Tourism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-15, September.
    17. Shehawy, Yasser Moustafa & Agag, Gomaa & Alamoudi, Hawazen O. & Alharthi, Majed D. & Brown, Abraham & Labben, Thouraya Gherissi & Abdelmoety, Ziad H., 2024. "Cross-national differences in consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) more for green hotels," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    18. Hayati Ibrahim & Manohar Mariapan & Evelyn Lim Ai Lin & Sheena Bidin, 2021. "Wildlife Conservation through Economically Responsible Ecotourist: The Mediator Roles of Attitude between Anticipated Emotion and Intention to Stay in Local Homestays," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-16, August.
    19. Farzana Sharmin & Mohammad Tipu Sultan & Dake Wang & Alina Badulescu & Benqian Li, 2021. "Cultural Dimensions and Social Media Empowerment in Digital Era: Travel-Related Continuance Usage Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-21, September.
    20. Yongxun Xu & Xuechao Wei & Shih-Chih Chen, 2019. "Determinants and Mechanisms of Tourists’ Environmentally Responsible Behavior: Applying and Extending the Value-Identity-Personal Norm Model in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-14, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8545-:d:428789. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.