Application of machine learning to predict visitors’ green behavior in marine protected areas: evidence from Cyprus

Abstract

Interpretive marine turtle tours in Cyprus yields an alluring ground to unfold the complex nature of pro-environmental behavior among travelers in nature-based destinations. Framing on Collins (2004) interaction ritual concept and the complexity theory, the current study proposes a configurational model and probes the interactional effect of visitors' memorable experiences with environmental passion and their demographics to identify the causal recipes leading to travelers' sustainable behaviors. Data was collected from tourists in the marine protected areas located in Cyprus. Such destinations are highly valuable not only for their function as an economic source for locals but also as a significant habitat for biodiversity preservation. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), this empirical study revealed that three recipes predict the high score level of visitors' environmentally friendly behavior. Additionally, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) method was applied to train and test the patterns of visitors' proenvironmental behavior in a machine learning environment to come up with a model which can best predict the outcome variable. The unprecedented implications on the use of technology to simulate and encourage pro-environmental behaviors in sensitive protected areas are discussed accordingly.

The Role of CSR and Ethical Leadership to Shape Employees’ Pro-Environmental Behavior in the Era of Industry 4.0. A Case of the Banking Sector

“…Similarly, the inclusion of ethical leadership as a mediator in the proposed relationship from the perspective of the banking sector also provides a unique insight into the existing literature on CSR and organizational management. There have been different studies highlighting the importance of ethical leadership to promote the pro-environmental behavior of employees in the era of industry 4.0 [142][143][144][145]. However, the banking sector has remained deprived and has not receive due attention in this regard.…”

Tracing the complexity-sustainability nexus in a small Mediterranean island: implications for hospitality and tourism education

“…Based on the aforementioned discussion and as noted earlier, the integration of a systems thinking approach to tourism education makes it possible to facilitate a transition to sustainable tourism development. The world now more than ever must encourage responsible travel (Akhshik et al , 2020a; Rezapouraghdam et al , 2021), responsible tourism employees (Karatepe et al , 2020a, 2020b) and sustainable destination management (Akhshik et al , 2020b; Toker and Rezapouraghdam, 2021). Considering the fact that today’s tourism students are going to be tomorrow’s employees, managers of destinations and/or a part of the local community who travel or host travellers, there is a need to foster responsible thinking and action.…”

Body-Mind Medicine Interventions in COVID-19 Place Confinement for Mental, Physical and Spiritual Wellbeing

“…Contact with nature has been documented to have important psychological and physiological benefits [38][39][40][41][42][43][44] impacting positively on people's quality of life [45,46]. An important point brought forward by researchers, and integrative medicine practitioners is that green space is playing a significant role assisting with COVID-19 recovery [26,47,48].…”