From Tourism to Sustainable Action: Understanding the Factors of Pro-Environmental Behaviour
Marina Abad-Galzacorta, Asunción Fernández-Villarán Ara and Eneko Ibarnia-Caspistegui
Keywords:
tourist behaviour, destination management, pro-environmental behaviour, Gipuzkoa, Structural Equation Model, climate change
Abstract:
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing society and the tourism sector. Therefore, understanding sustainable tourism behaviour has become increasingly important for the competitiveness, management, and governance of destinations. Central to these strategies is the emergence of tourists’ conscious travel habits and pro-environmental behaviour. Data was collected from 432 tourists in Gipuzkoa (Spain) through an on-site intercept survey involving a structured questionnaire. The data was analysed using Structural Equation Model (SEM). This study has partially confirmed the proposed hypotheses. Thus, the positive and significant relationship between everyday behaviour and travel behaviour (both before and during a trip) has been confirmed, aligning with previous studies. However, the hypothesis results regarding the values construct are less consistent. The contribution and significance of the study lie in its holistic view of tourists’ sustainable behaviour through the application of different theories. For effective tourism management, understanding the factors that influence tourists’ pro-sustainable behaviour has important practical and societal implications. The profiling of tourists will allow tourist destinations to tailor their services, marketing strategies and infrastructures to meet the specific needs and preferences of the different tourist segments.
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 From Tourism to Sustainable Action: Understanding the Factors of Pro-Environmental Behaviour [PDF file] [Filesize: 681.61 KB]
 10.7441/joc.2026.SI.03
Abad-Galzacorta, M., Fernández-Villarán Ara, A., & Ibarnia-Caspistegui, E. (2026). From Tourism to Sustainable Action: Understanding the Factors of Pro-Environmental Behaviour. Journal of Competitiveness, 18(SI), 57–80. https://doi.org/10.7441/joc.2026.SI.03
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