Antecedents of the intention to visit ecotourism destinations that suffered environmental disasters

Abstract

This study investigated how utilitarian reference group influence, socially responsible consumption, activism orientation and collectivism affect the intention to visit ecotourism destinations that have suffered environmental disasters. Quantitative research was carried out, with a sample of 397 individuals analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that the potential visitors of this segment do not have their choices determined by the evaluations and opinions of their closest groups, but rather the ones with whom they identify themselves with. Still, the reference groups are important contributors to the individuals' responsible consumption, but the latter, contradictorily, does not predict the intention to visit ecotourism destinations, which seems to be more of a hedonistic than a utilitarian attitude. Moreover, collectivism was perceived as a cultural dimension instead of an individual personality trait, which was not enough for the conception of a potential demand. The study's key finding is in the identification of politically and socially engaged individuals as the main potential visitors of locations which have faced environmental disasters.