Sara Dolnicar and Csilla Demeter
Recent reviews of field experiments aiming to entice tourists to behave in more environmentally sustainable ways conclude that attitudes – while the primary target – do not…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent reviews of field experiments aiming to entice tourists to behave in more environmentally sustainable ways conclude that attitudes – while the primary target – do not perform as well as expected. The purpose of this study is to analyse in detail when attitudes have or have not been successful as behavioural change targets and propose a conceptual framework of possible explanations. In so doing, this study represents the first theoretical – rather than empirical – challenge to the currently dominant theoretical understanding of environmentally significant tourist behaviours and offers alternative theoretical constructs tourism researchers aiming to make tourists behave in more sustainable ways could investigate in future.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors investigate in detail experiments where attitude-based behavioural change approaches failed. Based on the insights from this analysis, the authors propose a conceptual framework offering five potential explanations. This study also discusses alternative theoretical constructs that could be used for behavioural change interventions.
Findings
The authors derive five potential explanations for why attitudes often fail to trigger behavioural change in the context of environmentally sustainable tourist behaviour: tourists do not notice messages attempting to change their attitudes; tourists are unwilling to cognitively process behavioural change messages; tourists develop reactance to behavioural change requests; attempts to alter attitudes do not influence habits; and attempts to alter attitudes do not reduce the effort associated with displaying the desired behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
This study broadens research attention to alternative theoretical constructs that may be more effective in making tourists behave in more sustainable ways and opens opportunities for new measures tourism businesses and destinations can implement to influence tourist behaviour.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first theoretical investigation of possible reasons why attitudes have performed poorly as targets of behavioural change interventions aiming to trigger environmentally sustainable tourist behaviours.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this perspective paper is to draw attention to how the tourism industry can take action to contribute to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 by nudging…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this perspective paper is to draw attention to how the tourism industry can take action to contribute to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 by nudging tourists to behave in more environmentally sustainable ways. Many of the available practical approaches are easy and cheap to implement and therefore can be deployed easily by small and medium-sized tourism businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
This perspective paper reviews past contributions to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 and calls for more future research that develops and empirically test effective behavioural change interventions.
Findings
Future research must focus on two directions: the development and empirical testing in the field of new behavioural change interventions that entice tourists to behave in more environmentally sustainable ways, and the development and large-scale deployment of affordable instrumentation to automatically and continuously measure the environmental performance of tourism businesses.
Originality/value
This perspective paper synthesizes literature and point to important new future research directions. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first synthesis of past tourism research that has developed and empirically tested tangible approaches the tourism industry can deploy to contribute to SGD 12.
目的
这份前瞻性报告回顾了过去对联合国可持续发展之第十二目标有贡献的文章, 并呼吁未来应当开展更多有关于开发和实证检验有效行为改变的研究。
设计/方法论/方针
这份报告的目的是吸引更多关注在于旅游业如何采取行动, 通过促使游客以更环保的方式行事, 为联合国可持续发展之第十二目标作出贡献。其中的许多方法易于实施且成本低廉, 中小型旅游企业也可以轻松推广应用。
研究结果
未来的研究必须集中在两个方向:(1) 开发和在实地中实证检验新的行为改变干预措施, 以吸引游客以更环保的方式行事, 以及(2) 开发和大规模推广负担得起的仪器, 以自动和持续测量旅游企业的环境绩效。
原创性/价值
这份报告综合了文献, 并指出了未来重要的新研究方向。这是对过去旅游研究的首次综合, 这些研究开发并实证检验了旅游业可以推广应用的具体方法, 以促进联合国可持续发展之第十二目标的发展。
Objetivo
El objectivo de este documento de perspectiva es llamar la atención sobre cómo la industria del turismo puede tomar las medidas necesarias para contribuir al Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 12 de las Naciones Unidas al alentar a los turistas comportarse de una manera ambientalemente sostenible. La mayoría de las medidas prácticas disponibles son fáciles y económicas de implementar por las pequeñas y medianas empresas turísticas.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
Este documento de perspectiva revisa las pasadas contribuciones al Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 12 de las Naciones Unidas y pide más investigaciones futuras que desarrollen y prueben empíricamente intervenciones efectivas para cambiar los comportamientos.
Resultados
La investigación futura debe centrarse en dos direcciones: (1) el desarrollo y las pruebas empíricas en el campo de nuevas intervenciones de cambio de comportamiento que atraigan a los turistas a comportarse de una manera ambientalmente sostenible, y (2) el desarrollo y despliegue a gran escala de instrumentación asequible para medir de forma automática y continua el desempeño ambiental de las empresas turísticas.
Originalidad/valor
Este documento de perspectiva sintetiza la literatura y señala puntos importantes para futuras investigaciones. Es la primera síntesis de investigaciones turísticas pasadas que ha desarrollado y probado empíricamente enfoques tangibles que la industria del turismo puede implementar para contribuir al SGD 12.