How "Green" Are Campers? A Study of Campers' Attitudes and Behaviours

Camping is a fun alternative to hotels when deciding where to stay while on vacation. Among its advantages, this rural setting is often thought of as promoting greener habits and as generating less waste. However, not all campers are environmentally responsible. Is consciousness toward the environment a good criteria to segment camping customers? Are there other criteria in which green campers are different than others? Using 718 questionnaires, this study focuses on gender, age, decision-making criteria for choosing a camping ground, motivations for camping, intention of paying for an environmentally responsible service and willingness to make compromises for an eco-friendly label. Of the six hypotheses put forward, some are confirmed, some are partially confirmed and one is rejected using cross-tabulation and ANOVAs. One of the interesting conclusions of this study is to help managers and owners in the lodging sector in the dilemma of choosing between ?being green? and ?who is willing to pay for green services?. This study contributes to the existing body of research concerning how green habits have to be managed by organizations. Furthermore, owners and managers of camping grounds and of other types of accommodations can find useful insights for market segmentation and to better understand their existing and potential green clientele.