IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i4p1960-d497897.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Travel Decision-Making of Europeans: Insights from a Household Survey

Author

Listed:
  • Tatjana Mamula Nikolić

    (Metropolitan University, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

  • Sanja Popović Pantić

    (Institute Mihajlo Pupin, University of Belgrade, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia)

  • Ivan Paunović

    (Rural Region Service Centre (DLR), 67435 Neustadt and der Weinstraße, Germany)

  • Sanja Filipović

    (Faculty of Business, Singidunum University, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
    Institute of Social Sciences, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to research the antecedents of the sustainable travel decision-making of European travelers and thereby identify important lessons for the transition towards sustainable travel and tourism. The study is based on data collected through a representative survey, conducted in five European countries, with a sample of n = 5024 respondents. The results of descriptive statistics, EFA (Exploratory Factor Analysis) and FA (Factor Analysis) are presented in order to explore sustainable travel decision-making through environmental (policy-related and personal) attitudes and travel mode decision priorities in the European context. Furthermore, the study provides new evidence regarding the under-researched phenomenon of the attitude–behavior gap by presenting a model for the sustainability-oriented decision-making of travelers, including attitudes and travel mode priorities as antecedents. The results confirm the existence of moral licensing in travel decision-making, thereby extending the relevance of this theory into travel and tourism, which has not been done before. The denial of environmental issues is also being researched as regards its interaction with positive environmental attitudes, environmental travel mode priorities and non-environmental travel priorities, thereby advancing our understanding of the interplay between these categories. The interplay between the four categories furthers our understanding of the perplexity of travelers in terms of sustainable travel decision-making.

Suggested Citation

  • Tatjana Mamula Nikolić & Sanja Popović Pantić & Ivan Paunović & Sanja Filipović, 2021. "Sustainable Travel Decision-Making of Europeans: Insights from a Household Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-21, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1960-:d:497897
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1960/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1960/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ju Hyoung Han & Min Jae Lee & Yun-Seop Hwang, 2016. "Tourists’ Environmentally Responsible Behavior in Response to Climate Change and Tourist Experiences in Nature-Based Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-14, July.
    2. Hung, Kam & Petrick, James F., 2012. "Testing the effects of congruity, travel constraints, and self-efficacy on travel intentions: An alternative decision-making model," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 855-867.
    3. Kerstin Westin & Annika Nordlund & Johan Jansson & Jonas Nilsson, 2020. "Goal Framing as a Tool for Changing People’s Car Travel Behavior in Sweden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Hae-Ryong Kim & So-Yeon Yoon, 2020. "How to Help Crowded Destinations: Tourist Anger vs. Sympathy and Role of Destination Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Aiping Zhang & Linsheng Zhong & Yong Xu & Hui Wang & Lijuan Dang, 2015. "Tourists’ Perception of Haze Pollution and the Potential Impacts on Travel: Reshaping the Features of Tourism Seasonality in Beijing, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Tim Baird & C. Michael Hall & Pavel Castka, 2018. "New Zealand Winegrowers Attitudes and Behaviours towards Wine Tourism and Sustainable Winegrowing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-23, March.
    7. Federica Buffa, 2015. "Young Tourists and Sustainability. Profiles, Attitudes, and Implications for Destination Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-21, October.
    8. Thomas Bausch & Andreas Humpe & Stefan Gössling, 2019. "Does Climate Change Influence Guest Loyalty at Alpine Winter Destinations?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-22, August.
    9. Björk, Peter & Jansson, Therese, 2008. "Travel Decision-making: The Role of Habit," MPRA Paper 25360, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 27 Sep 2008.
    10. Sea-Jin Chang & Arjen van Witteloostuijn & Lorraine Eden, 2010. "From the Editors: Common method variance in international business research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(2), pages 178-184, February.
    11. Katie Baca-Motes & Amber Brown & Ayelet Gneezy & Elizabeth A. Keenan & Leif D. Nelson, 2013. "Commitment and Behavior Change: Evidence from the Field," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(5), pages 1070-1084.
    12. Alderighi, Marco & Bianchi, Carluccio & Lorenzini, Eleonora, 2016. "The impact of local food specialities on the decision to (re)visit a tourist destination: Market-expanding or business-stealing?," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 323-333.
    13. Ivan Paunović & Verka Jovanović, 2017. "Implementation of Sustainable Tourism in the German Alps: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-15, February.
    14. Juvan, Emil & Dolnicar, Sara, 2014. "The attitude–behaviour gap in sustainable tourism," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 76-95.
    15. Han, Heesup, 2015. "Travelers' pro-environmental behavior in a green lodging context: Converging value-belief-norm theory and the theory of planned behavior," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 164-177.
    16. Juvan, Emil & Dolnicar, Sara, 2016. "Measuring environmentally sustainable tourist behaviour," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 30-44.
    17. Dickinson, Janet E. & Robbins, Derek & Lumsdon, Les, 2010. "Holiday travel discourses and climate change," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 482-489.
    18. Gurumurthy, Krishna Murthy & Kockelman, Kara M., 2020. "Modeling Americans’ autonomous vehicle preferences: A focus on dynamic ride-sharing, privacy & long-distance mode choices," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    19. Lee, Tsung Hung & Jan, Fen-Hauh & Yang, Chung-Cheng, 2013. "Conceptualizing and measuring environmentally responsible behaviors from the perspective of community-based tourists," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 454-468.
    20. Hares, Andrew & Dickinson, Janet & Wilkes, Keith, 2010. "Climate change and the air travel decisions of UK tourists," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 466-473.
    21. Macarena Esteban Ibáñez & Daniel Musitu Ferrer & Luis Vicente Amador Muñoz & Francisco Mateos Claros & Francisco Javier Olmedo Ruiz, 2020. "University as Change Manager of Attitudes towards Environment (The Importance of Environmental Education)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, June.
    22. Colin Michael Hall & Natasha Dayal & Dea Majstorović & Hamish Mills & Leroy Paul-Andrews & Chloe Wallace & Van Dao Truong, 2016. "Accommodation Consumers and Providers’ Attitudes, Behaviours and Practices for Sustainability: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-30, July.
    23. Stylos, Nikolaos & Vassiliadis, Chris A. & Bellou, Victoria & Andronikidis, Andreas, 2016. "Destination images, holistic images and personal normative beliefs: Predictors of intention to revisit a destination," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 40-60.
    24. Jacobsen, Jens Kr. Steen & Iversen, Nina M. & Hem, Leif E., 2019. "Hotspot crowding and over-tourism: Antecedents of destination attractiveness," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 53-66.
    25. Susilo, Yusak O. & Williams, Katie & Lindsay, Morag & Dair, Carol, 2012. "The influence of individuals’ environmental attitudes and urban design features on their travel patterns in sustainable neighborhoods in the UK," Working papers in Transport Economics 2012:1, CTS - Centre for Transport Studies Stockholm (KTH and VTI).
    26. Erling Holden & Kristin Linnerud, 2010. "Environmental attitudes and household consumption: an ambiguous relationship," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 13(3), pages 217-231.
    27. Muhammad Saeed Ashraf & Fujun Hou & Woo Gon Kim & Wasim Ahmad & Rana Umair Ashraf, 2020. "Modeling tourists' visiting intentions toward ecofriendly destinations: Implications for sustainable tourism operators," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 54-71, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & José Luis Jiménez-Caballero, 2021. "Nature Tourism on the Colombian—Ecuadorian Amazonian Border: History, Current Situation, and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-14, April.
    2. Ghada Alturif & Wafaa Saleh, 2023. "Travel Demand Management in an Auto Dominated City: Can Travel Behaviour Be Nudged in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-19, June.
    3. Tai Ming Wut & Daisy Lee & Stephanie Wing Lee, 2023. "Does Attitude or Intention Affect Behavior in Sustainable Tourism? A Review and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-14, September.
    4. Tatjana Mamula Nikolić & Ivan Paunović & Mirjana Milovanović & Nenad Lozović & Marija Đurović, 2022. "Examining Generation Z’s Attitudes, Behavior and Awareness Regarding Eco-Products: A Bayesian Approach to Confirmatory Factor Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Bahram Zikirya & Jieyu Wang & Chunshan Zhou, 2021. "The Relationship between CO 2 Emissions, Air Pollution, and Tourism Flows in China: A Panel Data Analysis of Chinese Provinces," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-17, October.
    6. Bäuerle, Max Juri, 2022. "Striving for low-carbon lifestyles: An analysis of the mobility patterns of different urban household types with regard to emissions reductions in a real-world lab experiment in Berlin," Discussion Papers, Research Group Digital Mobility and Social Differentiation SP III 2022-601, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    7. Jarkko Saarinen, 2021. "Is Being Responsible Sustainable in Tourism? Connections and Critical Differences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Marek Bauer & Kinga Bauer, 2022. "Analysis of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Future of Public Transport: Example of Warsaw," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-22, June.
    9. Alexandra Monteiro & Celeste Eusébio & Maria João Carneiro & Mara Madaleno & Margarita Robaina & Vitor Rodrigues & Carla Gama & Hélder Relvas & Michael Russo & Kevin Oliveira & Myriam Lopes & Carlos B, 2021. "Tourism and Air Quality during COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for the Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-22, April.
    10. Armindo Frias & Erza Raskova & Álvaro Costa & João Cabral, 2021. "Obtaining Data Values from Tourist Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-15, September.
    11. Civilai Leckie & Daniel Rayne & Lester W. Johnson, 2021. "Promoting Customer Engagement Behavior for Green Brands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-22, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tatjana Mamula Nikolić & Ivan Paunović & Mirjana Milovanović & Nenad Lozović & Marija Đurović, 2022. "Examining Generation Z’s Attitudes, Behavior and Awareness Regarding Eco-Products: A Bayesian Approach to Confirmatory Factor Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, February.
    2. Shiwei Shen & Marios Sotiriadis & Qing Zhou, 2020. "Could Smart Tourists Be Sustainable and Responsible as Well? The Contribution of Social Networking Sites to Improving Their Sustainable and Responsible Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, February.
    3. Bruderer Enzler, Heidi, 2017. "Air travel for private purposes. An analysis of airport access, income and environmental concern in Switzerland," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1-8.
    4. Su, Lujun & Huang, Songshan (Sam) & Pearce, Joanna, 2018. "How does destination social responsibility contribute to environmentally responsible behaviour? A destination resident perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 179-189.
    5. Mihai F. Băcilă & Raluca Ciornea & Luiza M. Souca & Alexandra M. Drule, 2022. "Content Analysis on Sustainability Dimensions in DMOs’ Social Media Videos Advertising the World’s Most Visited Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-25, September.
    6. Šimková Eva & Kořínková Barbora & Obršálová Kristýna, 2023. "Environmental Education of Tourists for Sustainable Tourism Development," Czech Journal of Tourism, Sciendo, vol. 12(1-2), pages 1-19, December.
    7. Meng-Tsung Lee & Jen-Ming Liu & Elaine Q. Borazon, 2020. "Evaluating the Effect of Perceived Value of Ecosystem Services on Tourists’ Behavioral Intentions for Aogu Coastal Wetland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, August.
    8. Jesús Manuel López-Bonilla & María Del Carmen Reyes-Rodríguez & Luis Miguel López-Bonilla, 2018. "The Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours of European Golf Tourists," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-16, June.
    9. Petra Zabukovec Baruca & Zlatko Janèiè & Aleksandra Brezovec, 2022. "Understanding Responsibility from the Tourist’s Perspective: A Hotel Context," Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, University of Primorska Press, vol. 15(2), pages 187-202.
    10. Hergesell, Anja, 2022. "Using Rasch analysis for scale development and refinement in tourism: Theory and illustration," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 551-561.
    11. Maria-Ana Georgescu & Emilia Herman, 2020. "Are Young People Ready to Have a Pro-Environmental Sustainable Behaviour as Tourists? An Investigation of Towel Reuse Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-20, November.
    12. Guiqiang Qiao & Jun Gao, 2017. "Chinese Tourists’ Perceptions of Climate Change and Mitigation Behavior: An Application of Norm Activation Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-13, July.
    13. Pipatpong Fakfare & Walanchalee Wattanacharoensil, 2023. "Low‐carbon tourism for island destinations: A crucial alternative for sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 180-197, February.
    14. Philip R. Walsh & Rachel Dodds & Julianna Priskin & Jonathon Day & Oxana Belozerova, 2021. "The Corporate Responsibility Paradox: A Multi-National Investigation of Business Traveller Attitudes and Their Sustainable Travel Behaviour," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-20, April.
    15. Feiyu Chen & Hong Chen & Jiahui Yang & Ruyin Long & Qianwen Li, 2018. "Impact of Information Intervention on the Recycling Behavior of Individuals with Different Value Orientations—An Experimental Study on Express Delivery Packaging Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-20, October.
    16. Mainolfi, Giada & Marino, Vittoria, 2020. "Destination beliefs, event satisfaction and post-visit product receptivity in event marketing. Results from a tourism experience," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 699-710.
    17. Farzana Sharmin & Mohammad Tipu Sultan & Alina Badulescu & Dorin Paul Bac & Benqian Li, 2020. "Millennial Tourists’ Environmentally Sustainable Behavior Towards a Natural Protected Area: An Integrative Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-24, October.
    18. Else Ragni Yttredal & Nathalie Homlong, 2020. "Perception of Sustainable Development in a Local World Heritage Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-19, October.
    19. Stylos, Nikolaos & Bellou, Victoria & Andronikidis, Andreas & Vassiliadis, Chris A., 2017. "Linking the dots among destination images, place attachment, and revisit intentions: A study among British and Russian tourists," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 15-29.
    20. Muhammad Saeed Ashraf & Naeem Akhtar & Rana Umair Ashraf & Fujun Hou & Muhammad Junaid & Syed Ali Ashiq Kirmani, 2020. "Traveling Responsibly to Ecofriendly Destinations: An Individual-Level Cross-Cultural Comparison between the United Kingdom and China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-18, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1960-:d:497897. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.