What drives ecotourism: environmental values or symbolic conspicuous consumption?

Abstract

Despite an influx of ecotourism research since the term was first coined, it is still not entirely clear why tourists choose ecotourism over other tourism experiences. While most of the previous literature assumes that ecotourism is preferred by travelers for moral reasons, emerging evidence suggests that opportunities to project one's social status are increasingly salient factors in decision-making about travel. This article compares the relative influence of two possible predictors of ecotourism intention: environmental values (measured through the value-beliefnorm theory) and symbolic conspicuous consumption (measured through expected social return). Respondents were drawn from a panel of U.S. tourists who had taken an overnight trip within the last year (n ¼ 786). Results of a structural equation model suggest that both personal norms (b ¼ 0.22, p < 0.001) and social return (b ¼ 0.60, p < 0.001) explain a considerable amount of variance in ecotourism intention (R 2 ¼ 0.44), with social return having the stronger influence. These results suggest that environmental values are not the sole reason for travelers' choice of ecotourism alternatives, and that ego-enforcing motives play an important role. The positive and negative implications of demand for ecotourism extending beyond those with strong environmental values are discussed.

Perceived Value and Its Predictive Relationship with Satisfaction and Loyalty in Ecotourism: A Study in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park in Spain

“…Ecotourism comprises contact with nature, culture, agriculture, wildlife, and adventure activities [9,10]. Since the United Nations designated 2002 as the "International Year of Ecotourism," a large number of tour operators use "ecotourism" as their identity label in the tourism market niche [11]. Ecotourism provides a solution for sustainable social, economic, and environmental development and promotes natural and cultural diversity [12].…”

Implications of Value Co-Creation in Green Hotels: The Moderating Effect of Trip Purpose and Generational Cohort

“…Green activities have a positive impact on corporate image in green hotels, which in turn influences consumers' positive intention to visit green hotels [31]. According to [31], hotel managers may strengthen the belief of guests that they can actively participate in protecting the environment if they stay in green hotels, and the literature calls for further research on how to convert non-ecotourists to ecotourists [34].…”

Mangrove Monitoring Using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (Ndvi): Case Study in North Halmahera, Indonesia

“…The people's livelihoods in the North Halmahera Regency, which are closely related to collective values (Hibualamo), reflect the socio-economic behaviour embodied in the pattern of resource use to sustain livelihoods. Beall et al (2020) argue that the consumption of natural resources represents the cultural values of society. Therefore, it is necessary to synergize the socio-cultural values with the institutional dimension.…”