Identifying tourists with smaller environmental footprints

This paper identifies which information about tourists serves as the best predictor of their pro-environmental behavior at home and on vacation. If a small set of predictors can be identified, the tourism industry would be able to use them to focus attention on attracting tourists with smaller environmental footprints. Results from a survey asking respondents about pro-environmental behavior in their role as residents and tourists indicate that environmental concern, altruism, feeling morally obliged to behave in an environmentally friendly manner, age and regional identity are the best predictors of the segment of people who behave in an environmentally friendly way at home. Income levels and moral obligation best predict membership of the segment of environmentally friendly tourists. The two segments overlap; differences between them are due to the fact that, at home, people can create the infrastructure they require to behave in an environmentally friendly way. On vacation they need to adjust to the infrastructure provided, which can act as a barrier to pro-environmental behavior. Results have direct practical implications, highlighting the value of demand-side approaches to environmentally sustainable tourism for protected areas, both urban and rural, such as focusing on those market segments that have the highest intrinsic inclination to protect the environment.

[1]  Friedrich Leisch,et al.  Evaluation of structure and reproducibility of cluster solutions using the bootstrap , 2010 .

[2]  Bettina Grün,et al.  Can Heterogeneity Among Individuals and Contexts/ Environments Be Harvested for Improved Sustainable Management? , 2009 .

[3]  Friedrich Leisch,et al.  Selective marketing for environmentally sustainable tourism , 2008 .

[4]  F. Leisch,et al.  An Investigation of Tourists' Patterns of Obligation to Protect the Environment , 2008 .

[5]  S. Dolnicar,et al.  Environment-friendly Tourists: What Do We Really Know About Them? , 2008 .

[6]  J. R. Warmbrod.  TITLE Social Background , Personality and Attitudinal Factors Influencing the Decision to Volunteer and Level of Involvement among Adult 4-H Leaders , 2007 .

[7]  S. Dolnicar.  Nature-Conserving Tourists: The Need for a Broader Perspective , 2006 .

[8]  Marino Bonaiuto,et al.  Environmental Concern, Regional Identity, and Support for Protected Areas in Italy , 2005 .

[9]  J. Fairweather,et al.  Environmental Values and Response to Ecolabels Among International Visitors to New Zealand , 2005 .

[10]  José Antonio Corraliza,et al.  Rural-Urban Differences in Environmental Concern, Attitudes, and Actions , 2005 .

[11]  S. Dolnicar,et al.  New horses for old courses: questioning the limitations of sustainable tourism to supply-driven measures and the nature-based context , 2005 .

[12]  D. Kerstetter,et al.  Profiling Taiwanese ecotourists using a behavioral approach , 2004 .

[13]  Lori M. Hunter,et al.  The Association Between Environmental Perspective and Knowledge and Concern With Species Diversity , 2004 .

[14]  S. Dolnicar.  Insights into Sustainable Tourists in Austria: A Data-based A Priori Segmentation Approach , 2004 .

[15]  H. K. Cordell,et al.  Ethnic Variation in Environmental Belief and Behavior , 2004 .

[16]  P. Eagles,et al.  Implications of alternative definitions of ecotourists. , 2004 .

[17]  Matthew J. Kotchen,et al.  Internal and external influences on pro-environmental behavior: Participation in a green electricity program , 2003 .

[18]  Sung-Kwon Hong,et al.  IMPLICATIONS OF POTENTIAL GREEN TOURISM DEVELOPMENT , 2003 .

[19]  Maryam Khan,et al.  ECOSERV Ecotourists' Quality Expectations , 2003 .

[20]  Deborah L. Kerstetter,et al.  Testing a Constraints Model within the Context of Nature-Based Tourism , 2002 .

[21]  L. Lawton,et al.  Overnight Ecotourist Market Segmentation in the Gold Coast Hinterland of Australia , 2002 .

[22]  T. B. Cornwell,et al.  Exploring the Usefulness of an Ecotourism Interest Scale , 2002 .

[23]  Craig W. Trumbo,et al.  Intention to Conserve Water: Environmental Values, Planned Behavior, and Information Effects. A Comparison of Three Communities Sharing a Watershed , 2001 .

[24]  Paul B. Reed,et al.  Distinguishing Characteristics of Active Volunteers in Canada , 2000 .

[25]  J. Corraliza,et al.  Environmental Values, Beliefs, and Actions , 2000 .

[26]  Irena Ateljevic,et al.  'Staying Within the Fence': Lifestyle Entrepreneurship in Tourism , 2000 .

[27]  Chris Ryan,et al.  THE GAZE, SPECTACLE AND ECOTOURISM , 2000 .

[28]  R. Dunlap,et al.  Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale , 2000 .

[29]  Matthew J. Kotchen,et al.  Random effects analysis , 2003 .

[30]  Florian G. Kaiser,et al.  Responsibility as a predictor of ecological behaviour , 1999 .

[31]  E. Kals,et al.  Emotional Affinity toward Nature as a Motivational Basis to Protect Nature , 1999 .

[32]  Walter Wymer.  Youth development volunteers: Their motives, how they differ from other volunteers and correlates of involvement intensity , 1998 .

[33]  P. Dearden,et al.  Ecotourism versus tourism in a Thai national park , 1998 .

[34]  J. Hunt,et al.  Ecotourists' Motivational and Demographic Characteristics: A Case of North Carolina Travelers , 1998 .

[35]  M. Floyd,et al.  The Relationship Between Environmental Concern and Acceptability of Environmental Impacts among Visitors to Two U.S. National Park Settings , 1997 .

[36]  V. Palacio.  Identifying Ecotourists in Belize Through Benefit Segmentation: A Preliminary Analysis , 1997 .

[37]  V. Braithwaite,et al.  A Social Values Segmentation of the Potential Ecotourism Market , 1997 .

[38]  Paniela A. Nvight.  North American Ecotourism Markets , 1996 .

[39]  Jerry L. L. Miller,et al.  TESTING A DYNAMIC MODEL OF SOCIAL COMPOSITION: DIVERSITY AND CHANGE IN VOLUNTARY GROUPS* , 1996 .

[40]  P. Wight.  North American Ecotourists: Market Profile and Trip Characteristics , 1996 .

[41]  D. Pearce,et al.  Ecotourism: towards a key elements approach to operationalising the concept. , 1995 .

[42]  P. Eagles,et al.  Canadian Ecotourists: Who are They? , 1995 .

[43]  P. Eagles,et al.  Defining Canadian ecotourists. , 1994 .

[44]  Linda L. Caldwell,et al.  Environmental attitude by trip and visitor characteristics: US Virgin Islands National Park. , 1994 .

[45]  P. Eagles.  The Travel Motivations of Canadian Ecotourists , 1992 .

[46]  Ida E. Berger,et al.  Perceived Consumer Effectiveness and Faith in Others as Moderators of Environmentally Responsible Behaviors , 1992 .

[47]  J. Curtis,et al.  Voluntary Association Membership in Fifteen Countries : a Comparative Analysis , 1992 .

[48]  M. Harris.  Voluntary Leaders in Voluntary Welfare Agencies , 1990 .

[49]  P. Eagles,et al.  An Analysis of the Motives of Ecotourists in Comparison to the General Canadian Population , 1990 .

[50]  J. M. Hines,et al.  Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: A meta-analysis. , 1987 .

[51]  A. Wandersman,et al.  Black Participation in Voluntary Associations , 1986 .

[52]  U. Yavas,et al.  Can volunteers be targeted? , 1985 .

[53]  Predictors of Social Participation: Apparent or Real? , 1980 .

[54]  S. Schwartz.  Normative Influences on Altruism , 1977 .

[55]  D. D. Baumann,et al.  Renovated waste water: The question of public acceptance , 1974 .

[56]  James F. Johnson.  Renovated waste water : an alternative source of municipal water supply in the United States , 1971 .