Shaping tourists’ green behavior: The hosts’ efforts at rural Chinese B&Bs

Abstract

Abstract Tourists’ green behavior has recently attracted much academic interest. The majority of the existing studies use quantitative research methods and explore how tourists’ cognitive and emotional factors influence their environmental actions. This study assesses tourists' green behavior from a unique perspective, that is, how hosts at rural Chinese B&Bs interact with tourists and shape their sustainable actions. The research team analyzed why the rural hosts are motivated to promote tourists’ green behavior, and identified the strategies they pursue to convince the tourists to be more sustainable. Guzhu Village, well known for its rural tourism and popular with senior tourists in the Yangtze River Delta, was the site for the study. Auto-ethnography was used as the key research method. It was found that both tangible and intangible environmental benefits motivate the hosts to guide tourists’ sustainable behavior. Hosts specifically structure some leisure activities and use compelling signage to both promote positive environmental actions and simultaneously enhance tourists’ satisfaction. This is the first study to emphasize the active roles of the hosts in shaping tourists’ green behavior through dynamic social interaction. The findings highlight the processes, such as humor and social approval, which have broad international applicability. Further, it was noted that the hosts employ ‘face’, a distinctive Chinese concept, to limit tourists’ less-desirable behaviors. Practical implications are also offered for sustainable destination management.