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Travelers’ Responsible Environmental Behavior towards Sustainable Coastal Tourism: An Empirical Investigation on Social Media User-Generated Content

Author

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  • Mohammad Tipu Sultan

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai 200240, China
    Mohammad Tipu Sultan and Farzana Sharmin equally contributed as the first author to this work.)

  • Farzana Sharmin

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai 200240, China
    Mohammad Tipu Sultan and Farzana Sharmin equally contributed as the first author to this work.)

  • Alina Badulescu

    (Department of Economics and Business, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania)

  • Elena Stiubea

    (Department of Economics and Business, University of Oradea, 410087 Oradea, Romania)

  • Ke Xue

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai 200240, China)

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in coastal tourism, sparking a debate on the responsible environmental behavior of travelers visiting sustainable destinations. To mitigate this issue, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and environmental activists are trying to develop strategic approaches (i.e., by using digital technologies) to enhance the sustainable behavior of travelers. Environmental responsiveness and its impact on sustainable destinations is gaining attention by companies, scholars, and institutions. However, the relevant literature has not addressed social media user-generated content regarding sustainable destinations. Sharing stakeholder knowledge, activities, and experience on social media could accomplish this goal. Hence, this paper aims to explore travelers′ responsible environmental behavior towards coastal tourism within the social media user-generated content paradigm. To measure the effect of user-generated content (UGC), i.e., cognitive triggers and affective triggers, on the responsible environmental behavior of travelers, a survey questionnaire was used to collect data ( n = 506) from the world’s longest sandy sea beach, Cox’s Bazar, located in the Southern part of Bangladesh. The data were examined by structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that cognitive and affective triggers of user-generated content influence travelers’ environmental concerns and attitudes, making a significant contribution to shaping responsible environmental behavior. Additionally, the findings show that environmental concerns and attitudes play a significant role in producing commitment towards a sustainable coastal tourism practice. This study contributes to the effectiveness of user-generated content for persuasive interactions with destination marketing organizations to develop sustainable tourism practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Tipu Sultan & Farzana Sharmin & Alina Badulescu & Elena Stiubea & Ke Xue, 2020. "Travelers’ Responsible Environmental Behavior towards Sustainable Coastal Tourism: An Empirical Investigation on Social Media User-Generated Content," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2020:i:1:p:56-:d:467413
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    2. Yiyang Sun & Guolin Hou, 2021. "Analysis on the Spatial-Temporal Evolution Characteristics and Spatial Network Structure of Tourism Eco-Efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-29, March.
    3. Ruochen Yang, 2023. "Use and Experience of Tourism Green Spaces in Ishigaki City before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on Web Review Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-24, June.
    4. Farrukh Rafiq & Mohd Adil & Mohd Sadiq, 2022. "Does Contextual Factor Influence Travelers’ Towel Reuse Behavior? Insights from Circular Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-16, May.
    5. Azhar, Mohd & Hamid, Sheeba & Akhtar, Mohd Junaid & Subhan, Mohammad, 2022. "Delineating the Influence of Social Media Use on Sustainable Rural Tourism: An Application of TPB with Place Emotion," Journal of Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, Cinturs - Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, University of Algarve, vol. 10(4), pages 292-312.
    6. Yuqing Geng & Mukasar Maimaituerxun, 2022. "Research Progress of Green Marketing in Sustainable Consumption based on CiteSpace Analysis," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(3), pages 21582440221, August.
    7. Mohd Azhar & Sehar Nafees & Sujood & Sheeba Hamid, 2023. "Understanding post-pandemic travel intention toward rural destinations by expanding the theory of planned behavior (TPB)," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-17, December.

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