IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i5p2548-d756087.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Destinations: A Structural Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Arthur Filipe de Araújo

    (Transdisciplinary Research Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (TRIEE), Faculty of Economic, Social and Business Sciences (FCESE), Lusofona University, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal)

  • Maria Isabel Andrés Marques

    (Transdisciplinary Research Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (TRIEE), Faculty of Economic, Social and Business Sciences (FCESE), Lusofona University, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal)

  • Maria Teresa Ribeiro Candeias

    (Transdisciplinary Research Center of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (TRIEE), Faculty of Economic, Social and Business Sciences (FCESE), Lusofona University, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal)

  • Armando Luís Vieira

    (Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEGEIT), University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal)

Abstract

Even though tourists increasingly value sustainable practices in tourism businesses and destinations, price is still one of the main determinant factors in their decisions. Therefore, for destination managers it is essential to understand tourists’ willingness to pay an additional price to visit a place where sustainable practices are adopted. In this context, and building on social psychology theories, the present study proposes and tests a causal model encompassing tourists’ Willingness To Pay (WTP) for sustainability in tourist destinations as well as their own sustainability attitudes, namely: Environmental Beliefs, Ecotour Attitudes, and Sustainable Consumption Behaviour. To this end, data were collected through a questionnaire survey of Portuguese tourists ( n = 567). The hypothesised relationships between the latent variables were then tested using Structural Equations Modelling (SEM) procedures. The results show that Environmental Beliefs significantly affected both Ecotour Attitudes and Sustainable Consumption Behaviour, and that the latter two significantly affected WTP. However, no significant effect of Environmental Beliefs on WTP was found. These findings provide useful insights for destination managers aiming to more effectively cater to sustainability-oriented tourists. Future research should attempt to assess the role of other determinants of WTP.

Suggested Citation

  • Arthur Filipe de Araújo & Maria Isabel Andrés Marques & Maria Teresa Ribeiro Candeias & Armando Luís Vieira, 2022. "Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Destinations: A Structural Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:5:p:2548-:d:756087
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/5/2548/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/5/2548/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hultman, Magnus & Kazeminia, Azadeh & Ghasemi, Vahid, 2015. "Intention to visit and willingness to pay premium for ecotourism: The impact of attitude, materialism, and motivation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1854-1861.
    2. Michael Getzner, 2020. "Spatially Disaggregated Cultural Consumption: Empirical Evidence of Cultural Sustainability from Austria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Meleddu, Marta & Pulina, Manuela, 2016. "Evaluation of individuals’ intention to pay a premium price for ecotourism: An exploratory study," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 67-78.
    4. Begüm Aydın & Maria D. Alvarez, 2020. "Understanding the Tourists’ Perspective of Sustainability in Cultural Tourist Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Miguel Ángel Moliner & Diego Monferrer & Marta Estrada & Rosa M. Rodríguez, 2019. "Environmental Sustainability and the Hospitality Customer Experience: A Study in Tourist Accommodation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-15, September.
    6. Mathieu, Laurence F. & Langford, Ian H. & Kenyon, Wendy, 2003. "Valuing marine parks in a developing country: a case study of the Seychelles," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 373-390, May.
    7. Jordi Moreno-Gené & Laura Sánchez-Pulido & Eduard Cristobal-Fransi & Natalia Daries, 2018. "The Economic Sustainability of Snow Tourism: The Case of Ski Resorts in Austria, France, and Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-20, August.
    8. Myung Ja Kim & C. Michael Hall & Heejeong Han, 2021. "Behavioral Influences on Crowdfunding SDG Initiatives: The Importance of Personality and Subjective Well-Being," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-21, March.
    9. Kim, Aise KyoungJin & Weiler, Betty, 2013. "Visitors' attitudes towards responsible fossil collecting behaviour: An environmental attitude-based segmentation approach," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 602-612.
    10. Rinaldo Brau, 2008. "Demand-Driven Sustainable Tourism? A Choice Modelling Analysis," Tourism Economics, , vol. 14(4), pages 691-708, December.
    11. Xiubai Li & Jinok Susanna Kim & Timothy J. Lee, 2021. "Collaboration for Community-Based Cultural Sustainability in Island Tourism Development: A Case in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, June.
    12. Carlos Jurado-Rivas & Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero, 2019. "Willingness to Pay for More Sustainable Tourism Destinations in World Heritage Cities: The Case of Caceres, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-21, October.
    13. Seetaram, Neelu & Song, Haiyan & Ye, Shun & Page, Stephen, 2018. "Estimating willingness to pay air passenger duty," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 85-97.
    14. A. Surendran & C. Sekar, 2010. "An economic analysis of willingness to pay (WTP) for conserving the biodiversity," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(8), pages 637-648, July.
    15. Francesca Nocca, 2017. "The Role of Cultural Heritage in Sustainable Development: Multidimensional Indicators as Decision-Making Tool," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-28, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Begüm Aydın & Maria D. Alvarez, 2020. "Understanding the Tourists’ Perspective of Sustainability in Cultural Tourist Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-17, October.
    2. Veenarat Ut-tha & Pai-Po Lee & Rebecca Chung, 2021. "Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Coffee: A Case of Thai Consumers," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    3. Carlos Jurado-Rivas & Marcelino Sánchez-Rivero, 2019. "Willingness to Pay for More Sustainable Tourism Destinations in World Heritage Cities: The Case of Caceres, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-21, October.
    4. José Luis Durán-Román & Pablo Juan Cárdenas-García & Juan Ignacio Pulido-Fernández, 2020. "Tourist Tax to Improve Sustainability and the Experience in Mass Tourism Destinations: The Case of Andalusia (Spain)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, December.
    5. Siti Intan Nurdiana Wong Abdullah & Zaiton Samdin & Jo Ann Ho & Siew Imm Ng, 2020. "Sustainability of marine parks: Is knowledge–attitude–behaviour still relevant?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 7357-7384, December.
    6. Yoonjeong Jeong & Seweryn Zielinski & Ji-soon Chang & Seong-il Kim, 2018. "Comparing Motivation-Based and Motivation-Attitude-Based Segmentation of Tourists Visiting Sensitive Destinations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-16, October.
    7. Kumju Hwang & Jieun Lee, 2018. "Antecedents and Consequences of Ecotourism Behavior: Independent and Interdependent Self-Construals, Ecological Belief, Willingness to Pay for Ecotourism Services and Satisfaction with Life," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, March.
    8. Taeyoung Cho & Taesoo Cho & Hao Zhang, 2021. "The Effect of IMC of Golf Product Exhibitions on Customer Behavior and Recommendation Intention," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 2(3), pages 1-14, July.
    9. Fielding, David & Knowles, Stephen & Robertson, Kirsten, 2018. "Alcohol, generosity and empathy," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 28-39.
    10. Marrocu, Emanuela & Paci, Raffaele, 2011. "They arrive with new information. Tourism flows and production efficiency in the European regions," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 750-758.
    11. Krzysztof BORODAKO & Jadwiga BERBEKA & Michał RUDNICKI & Mariusz ŠAPCZYŃSKI, 2021. "Online Visibility and Knowledge-Intensive Business Services Performance: The Scope of Interrelatedness," Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 1(1), pages 157-173, August.
    12. Alessio D’Auria & Pasquale De Toro & Nicola Fierro & Elisa Montone, 2018. "Integration between GIS and Multi-Criteria Analysis for Ecosystem Services Assessment: A Methodological Proposal for the National Park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni (Italy)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-25, September.
    13. Gangwei Cai & Baoping Zou & Xiaoting Chi & Xincheng He & Yuang Guo & Wen Jiang & Qian Wu & Yujin Zhang & Yanna Zhou, 2023. "Neighborhood Spatio-Temporal Impacts of SDG 8.9: The Case of Urban and Rural Exhibition-Driven Tourism by Multiple Methods," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-37, January.
    14. Carlos Smaniotto Costa & Marluci Menezes & Petja Ivanova-Radovanova & Tatiana Ruchinskaya & Konstantinos Lalenis & Monica Bocci, 2021. "Planning Perspectives and Approaches for Activating Underground Built Heritage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-15, September.
    15. Chenavaz, Régis Y. & Leocata, Marta & Ogonowska, Malgorzata & Torre, Dominique, 2022. "Sustainable tourism," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    16. Marrocu, Emanuela & Paci, Raffaele, 2013. "Different tourists to different destinations. Evidence from spatial interaction models," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 71-83.
    17. Tonin, Stefania, 2018. "Citizens’ perspectives on marine protected areas as a governance strategy to effectively preserve marine ecosystem services and biodiversity," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 34(PB), pages 189-200.
    18. Stephanie F. Stefanski & Jay P. Shimshack, 2016. "Valuing Marine Biodiversity in the Gulf of Mexico: Evidence from the Proposed Boundary Expansion of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary," Marine Resource Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(2), pages 211-232.
    19. Thomas Bausch & Tilman Schröder & Verena Tauber & Bernard Lane, 2021. "Sustainable Tourism: The Elephant in the Room," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-19, July.
    20. Lan Anh Nguyen & Manh-Hung Nguyen & Viet-Ngu Hoang & Arnaud Reynaud & Michel Simioni & Clevo Wilson, 2024. "Tourists’ preferences and willingness to pay for protecting a World Heritage site from coastal erosion in Vietnam," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(11), pages 27607-27628, November.

    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:14:y:2022:i:5:p:2548-:d:756087. 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.