Airlines have introduced voluntary carbon offsetting (VCO) products to encourage consumers to mitigate emissions from their air travel. However, literature has suggested a low VCO adoption partly because of low perceived credibility. This study investigates the impact of source credibility (expertise and trustworthiness) on air travelers’ purchase intention for aviation VCO products. This is the first study to conceptualize and test the influence of source credibility on air travelers’ carbon offsetting behavior using communication theory. Source credibility of a message directly influences air travelers’ purchase intention of aviation VCO products in a positive way. Examining source credibility components shows that trustworthiness has a significant positive impact on purchase intention, while the impact of expertise is not significant. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed, which highlight the importance of improving source credibility, and trustworthiness in particular, to encourage consumers to mitigate air travel emissions.

No abstract

No abstract

Tourism has emerged as an important economic activity in Australia. Australia's protected natural environment areas are amongst the nation's major tourist attractions. This article presents new estimates of the considerable financial value of tourism in five of Australia's World Heritage Areas (WHA.s ). An economic interpretation of the management objectives for protected areas has been developed to illustrate the nature of the problem of maximising the combined benefits of all uses, including conservation, over time. The role of tourism and the proper measures of economic benefits are defined within this model. The model also incorporates expenditure on management to prevent reductions in environmental quality. The financial value estimates for the five WHA.s are compared with management budgets and revenue collected from users and this leads to questions about the adequacy of funding for management and the potential for raising more revenue for management from users. It is argued that these questions can only be properly answered using the economic measures of surpluses and information on demand functions.

No abstract