CAN SOCIAL MEDIA BE A TOOL FOR INCREASING TOURISTS’ ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR?

Abstract

For the sustainable development of a tourism destination, environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) is a vital issue. This study developed an implicated model based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework showing the usages of social media by tourists regarded as a stimulus; environmental awareness, and place attachment generated from using social media regarded as an organism; and tourists' ERB thereby bringing behavioral intension regarded as responses. The integrated tourists' ERB model was experimentally tested using survey data from 467 Bangladeshi tourists by SEM-based methodology. The study found that social media has a beneficial effect on environmental awareness and place attachment, negatively impacting ERB. Furthermore, environmental awareness and place attachment has a favorable impact on ERB. This article discusses theoretical discoveries as well as practical consequences.