Determinants and Mechanisms of Tourists’ Environmentally Responsible Behavior: Applying and Extending the Value-Identity-Personal Norm Model in China

Yongxun Xu,Shih-Chih Chen,Xuechao Wei

doi:10.3390/su11133711

Yongxun Xu, Shih-Chih Chen + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133711

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Abstract

It is well recognized that tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior is a prominent contributor to the sustainable development of tourist destinations. Based on the original Value-Identity-Personal norm (VIP) model and self-efficacy theory, this study proposes an extended VIP model for exploring the generalized determinants of tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior and investigating the impact mechanism of this behavior in China. A total number of 435 self-reported questionnaires were collected on a professional online survey platform. Our research results indicated that the extended VIP model could significantly and validly explain tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior. Specifically, biospheric values have an indirect but rooted effect on tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior. Furthermore, two indirect paths play the same mediational role between biospheric values and tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior. The findings expand the application field of the VIP model, contribute to a better understanding for academic researchers of tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior and shed light on managerial implications for practitioners in the sustainable development of tourist destinations.

Highlights

With the sustained and steady development of the economy in recent years, tourism has experienced rapid growth in China
This study proposed an extended Value-Identity-Personal norm (VIP) model based on the original VIP model and self-efficacy theory, and systematically explored the relationship between Biospheric Values (BV), Environmental Self-Identity (ESI), Environmental Self-Efficacy (ESE), Personal Norm (PN), and Tourists’ Environmentally Responsible Behaviors (TERB)
Hypothesis 1 (H1) indicated that BV had a positive relationship with ESI, which meant that the higher tourists’ BV, the stronger their ESI in the tourist destinations

Summary

Introduction

With the sustained and steady development of the economy in recent years, tourism has experienced rapid growth in China. Many findings indicate that tourists have proactive environmental friendly behaviors during their trips, such as picking up their own litter [7], protecting rare flora and fauna, conserving historic and cultural buildings and statues [8], and volunteering and donating for the sustainable development of tourism destinations [9,10]. These behaviors of tourists are referred to as Tourists’ Environmentally Responsible Behaviors (TERB), which have been described as minimizing environmentally unfriendly activities and displaying a willingness to protect the environment in the context of a tour by Lee, Jan, and Yang [11]. Exploring the reasons and mechanisms of TERB has become an important concern for academic researchers

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