Tourists’ waste reduction behavioral intentions at tourist destinations: An integrative research framework

Abstract

Abstract Tourists’ waste reduction behaviors performed at tourist destinations are vital to the sustainable development of tourist destinations. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of tourists’ waste reduction behaviors at tourist destinations and identifying the determinants of such environmentally responsible actions are therefore undeniably of utmost importance. This research developed an integrative research framework based on the integration of theory of planned behavior and norm activation model and explored the influences of a set of social-psychological factors on tourists’ waste reduction behavioral intentions at tourist destinations. Given the positive externalities of tourists’ waste reduction behaviors, incentive measures have also been considered and incorporated into the research framework. Based on the survey data from 546 Chinese tourists, this research indicated that tourists’ attitudes toward waste reduction, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and personal norm are the significant activators of tourists’ waste reduction intentions, and the personal norm has the largest effect. Incentive measures have no significant direct effect on tourists’ waste reduction intentions but significantly affect tourists’ attitudes toward waste reduction. This research helps scholars and the administrators of tourist destinations to better understand tourists’ waste reduction behaviors.