Host sincerity and tourist environmentally responsible behavior: The mediating role of tourists’ emotional solidarity with hosts

Abstract

Although hosts generally expect tourists to protect the natural environment of destinations, scarce research focuses on the role of hosts in stimulating tourist environmentally responsible behavior (TERB). To fill this gap, the present study drew on social exchange theory to explore the effect of host sincerity on TERB by addressing the mediating role of tourists' emotional solidarity with hosts. A total of 385 questionnaires were collected from Chinese domestic tourists visiting Xiamen, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was utilized to analyze the data. Results show that the three dimensions of tourists’ emotional solidarity with hosts (i.e. feeling welcomed, emotional closeness, and sympathetic understanding) partially mediated the effect of sincere social interaction on TERB but fully mediated the effect of sincere emotional response on TERB. Finally, theoretical and practical implications of the findings were discussed. • Social exchange theory is applied as a theoretical foundation. • Effect of host sincerity on tourist environmentally responsible behavior is explored. • Mediating role of tourists' emotional solidarity with hosts is examined.