Abstract
The whale watching ecolabel is a certification giving assurance that tour operations are conducted in such a way as to minimize environmental impact, foster visitors’ appreciation of marine conservation, and enhance visitor enjoyment. Exploring educational benefits of whale watching ecolabelling tour experience is therefore important to policy makers. This paper investigates the differences in environmental knowledge, awareness, attitudes and behavioral intentions between tourists after ecolabelling and nonecolabelling travel experience. Results reveal that ecolabelling tour experience had a significant impact on tourist’s site-based knowledge, marine conservation awareness, and environmental behavioral intentions. However, the results do not show significant differences in environmental attitudes and visitor enjoyment. This study highlights the need for implementing ecolabelling, increasing public awareness of the ecolabelled tours and providing economic incentives for tour operators to engage in ecolabelling.
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