Impact of tour guide humor on tourist pro-environmental behavior: Utilizing the conservation of resources theory

Abstract

Extant studies have increasingly investigated the impact of tour guide humor on tourist responses but paid insufficient attention to its effect on tourist pro-environmental behavior. Following the conservation of resources theory, this research examined how tour guide humor influences tourist pro-environmental behavior by identifying tourist relational energy as the mediator and tourist self-construal as the moderator. The theoretical model was tested using data from 476 tourist-matched surveys nested in 28 tour groups. Tour guide humor can stimulate tourists’ perception of relational energy and further motivate tourists to engage in pro-environmental behavior. Tourists’ self-construal can moderate the effect of tour guide humor on relational energy and the indirect effect of tour guide humor on tourist pro-environmental behavior via relational energy. Specifically, the positive association between tour guide humor and relational energy is stronger for tourists with more interdependent self-construal than for those with more independent self-construal. This study contributes to the tourist pro-environmental behavior literature by identifying tour guide humor as a prominent determinant. Valuable recommendations are also provided for destination management organizations to promote tourist pro-environmental behavior from the perspective of tour guide humor. • Tour guide humor can stimulate tourists to engage in pro-environmental behavior. • Tourists' perception of relational energy plays the mediating role. • Self-construal moderates the effects of humor on tourist relational energy. • Reveals a possible influence mechanism of tour guide humor on tourist pro-environmental behavior.