Unraveling the impact of environmentally sustainable practices of exhibitions and green behavior of visitors：The role of green psychological climate and environmental felt responsibility

Abstract

To minimize environmental harm and enhance their competitive advantage, a growing number of exhibitions are adopting environmentally sustainable practices. While there is a growing body of research on exhibitions adopting environmentally sustainable practices, visitors’ perceptions of and responses to these practices remain complex and under-explored. This study explores how visitors' perceptions of environmentally sustainable practices at exhibitions contribute to green behavior. The mediating mechanism of green psychological climate and environmental felt-responsibility and the moderation of visitation frequency in this relationship are also discussed. The proposed hypothesis was tested using structural equation modeling of data collected from visitors. The results of the survey (N=531) indicate that an exhibition utilizing environmentally sustainable practices has a positive, direct effect on green behavior of its visitors, as well as indirect effects through their green psychological climate and environmental felt responsibility. Moreover, when experienced visitors perceive environmentally sustainable practices, this has a greater impact on their green psychological climate and environmental felt responsibility. With these insights reinforced by a multi-group analysis, they can guide exhibition organizers in implementing more effective environmentally sustainable practices to evoke environmental felt responsibility in visitors and encourage green behavior.