Examining the Antecedents of Environmentally Responsible Behaviour: Relationships among Service Quality, Place Attachment and Environmentally Responsible Behaviour

Abstract

This study investigates the antecedents of environmentally responsible behaviour by creating a theoretical model of relationships between service quality, place attachment and environmentally responsible behaviour. A questionnaire survey was conducted among tourists who visited six famous tourist attractions in Shaanxi, China. The results of the research demonstrate that service quality exerts influence on environmentally responsible behaviour and place attachment in a positive manner. Additionally, the findings suggest that place attachment affects environmentally responsible behaviour in a direct and positive manner. Moreover, it is also found that service quality strengthens its effect on environmentally responsible behaviour through place attachment, indicating the mediating role of place attachment in the link between service quality and environmentally responsible behaviour. The current research contributes to tourism literature in that it helps to better understand the tourists’ environmentally responsible behaviour and provides management with evidence of the significance for improving the service quality at tourist attractions.

Tourists' environmentally responsible behavior: A new path of sustainable development of grassland tourism

“…The results demonstrate that the place attachment directly influences environmentally responsible behavior, service quality directly influences place attachment and indirectly influences environmentally responsible behavior through place attachment. These results have been in consistent with Cheng et al's (2021) research findings. It is further noticed that there is a direct effect of subjective norms on place attachment and a mediating role of place attachment in the effect of subjective norms on environmentally responsible behavior, a finding similar to Kyung‐Ryur's (2016) study.…”

“…Thus, through behavioral attitude, environmental knowledge and subjective norms have a significant positive impact on the implementation of environmentally responsible behavior.The results demonstrate that the place attachment directly influences environmentally responsible behavior, service quality directly influences place attachment and indirectly influences environmentally responsible behavior through place attachment. These results have been in consistent withCheng et al's (2021) research findings. It is further noticed that there is a direct effect of subjective norms on place attachment and a mediating role of place attachment in the effect of subjective norms on environmentally responsible behavior, a finding similar to Kyung-Ryur's (2016) study.He found that participants' subjective norms in water skiing likewise had a significant positive effect on place attachment.…”

“…The last part is the analysis of tourists' environmentally responsible behavior. In parts 2, 3, and 4, each construct consists of three or four items, which draw on the widely used mature scales in the relevant literature (Ajzen, 1991; Cheng et al, 2021; Daniel et al, 2009; He et al, 2018; Miller et al, 2015; Sahabuddin et al, 2021; Wang & Zhang, 2021; Yuksel et al, 2010). Most items are in the form of a 5‐point scale, ranging from 1 for strongly disagree to 5 for strongly agree .…”

“…Tourists might have a better experience, find the picturesque area to be more valuable, and form a strong emotional bond with it when the service quality offered by the location keeps becoming better until it reaches the level of expectations of visitors. Past research has shown that there is a significant positive impact of scenic service quality on place attachment (Cheng et al, 2021; Pandey & Sahu, 2020). However, a few scholars argued that place attachment will affect service quality in turn (Hwang et al, 2005).…”

Understanding the Environmentally Sustainable Behavior of Chinese University Students as Tourists: An Integrative Framework

“…Many studies have investigated the environmental behavior of individuals, such as the responsible behavior of tourists towards a destination [ 20 , 21 , 22 ] and; the environmental friendliness of locals and other tourists [ 23 ]. Several theoretical frameworks were applied in these studies, such as the theory of reasoned action [ 24 ], the theory of planned behavior [ 25 ], the VBN theory [ 26 ] and the norm activation model [ 27 ].…”