Examining when and how perceived sustainability-related climate influences pro-environmental behaviors of tourism destination residents in China

Abstract

Scholarly interest in the pro-environmental behaviors of local residents in tourism destination has begun to emerge. While the research is beginning to shed light on the predictors of local residents' pro-environmental behaviors, the circumstances and the influencing mechanisms of predictors on pro-environmental behaviors is incomplete. From the perspective of the destination-specific situational antecedent, this study develops a Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) framework to examine the effect of perceived sustainability-related climate on residents' pro-environmental behaviors and further investigate the boundary condition and underlying mechanisms of this relationship. The approach of this study is deductive. Data from 652 residents in a Chinese tourism destination indicated that residents' perceived sustainability-related climate directly affects their engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. The above effect is stronger for residents who are highly valued attention to social comparison information. Furthermore, perceived sustainability-related climate also indirectly affects residents’ pro-environmental behaviors via environmental passion, perceived environmental responsibility, and environmental commitment. This study offers a new research perspective from the situational antecedent and provides insights and implications for destination managers to promote the destination sustainability.