The Impacts of Fear and Uncertainty of COVID-19 on Environmental Concerns, Brand Trust, and Behavioral Intentions toward Green Hotels

Yufan Jian,Kevin J Zeng,Morgan X Yang,Irina Y Yu

doi:10.3390/su12208688

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry. We examined the interplay between consumers’ fear and uncertainty of COVID-19, their trust in green hotel brands, and their behavioral intentions in relation to staying at green hotels. Analysis of 613 completed responses to a survey instrument revealed that fear and uncertainty of COVID-19 have increased consumers’ environmental concerns and green hotel brand trust, which in turn have promoted their willingness to pay more and willingness to make sacrifices to stay at green hotels. The paper contributes to research on green consumption behavior in the hotel industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlights

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a devastating impact on the hotel industry worldwide
Against the background of the COVID-19 outbreak, this research aimed to address the aforementioned knowledge gap by proposing a conceptual framework incorporating fear and uncertainty of COVID-19, environmental concerns, green hotel brand trust, willingness to pay more for green hotels, and willingness to make sacrifices to stay at green hotels
The results revealed that fear and uncertainty of COVID-19 significantly increased consumers’ environmental concerns and green hotel brand trust, which in turn enhanced their willingness to pay more and willingness to make sacrifices to stay at green hotels

Summary

Introduction

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a devastating impact on the hotel industry worldwide. The combination of continuously increasing numbers of infections and deaths [3] and a lack of effective prevention and treatment has generated extreme levels of fear and uncertainty over COVID-19 among consumers. In relation to the hospitality industry, it is plausible that fear and uncertainty induced by the pandemic may promote environmental concerns among consumers and stimulate their preference for green hotels. Tracking changes in consumer behavior will be crucial to the survival of hotel firms as hospitality revives in the wake of the crisis. With the outbreak still recent, there have been no empirical studies to date on how consumers’ emotions and cognitive perception regarding COVID-19 influence their environmental concerns and, subsequently, their green hotel consumption behaviors

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Results

Conclusion