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Explore the World Responsibly: The Antecedents of Ethical Tourism Behaviors in China

Author

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  • Ying Teng

    (School of Management and Economics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China)

  • Zhenzhong Ma

    (School of Business, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing 211815, China
    Center for Israeli Studies of UESTC, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
    Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada)

  • Lei Jing

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Marxism Studies, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China)

Abstract

While ethical tourism is becoming more important in the tourist industry, relatively little is known about ethical tourism in China and what motivates Chinese tourists to undertake ethical tourism. This study examines this issue by adopting the planned behavior theory to explore the impact of Chinese tourists’ personal factors, positive social influence, image of destination and quality of services on their behavioral intentions in order to better understand what motivate Chinese tourists to participate ethical tourism. The results show that knowledge of ethical tourism, attitude toward ethical tourism, influences from family and friends, and local environment of the destinations are the key factors that drive Chinese tourists to undertake ethical tourism. In addition, service customization, service support and past experiences with ethical tourism are also important determinants of tourists’ satisfaction with ethical tourism, which further affects Chinese tourists’ intention to visit. Implications for ethical tourism marketing and management are then discussed with reference to how to promote more ethical tourism.

Suggested Citation

  • Ying Teng & Zhenzhong Ma & Lei Jing, 2021. "Explore the World Responsibly: The Antecedents of Ethical Tourism Behaviors in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-17, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:9:p:4907-:d:544562
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