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Article

Who Is Buying Green Products? The Roles of Sustainability Consciousness, Environmental Attitude, and Ecotourism Experience in Green Purchasing Intention at Tourism Destinations

by
Yonis Gulzar
1,*,
Nisa Eksili
2,
Kemal Koksal
3,
Pinar Celik Caylak
4,*,
Mohammad Shuaib Mir
1 and
Arjumand Bano Soomro
1,5
1
Department of Management Information Systems, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Aviation Management, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Türkiye
3
Department of Real Estate Management and Development, Serik Faculty of Business Administration, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Türkiye
4
Department of Tourism Management, Serik Faculty of Business Administration, Akdeniz University, 07058 Antalya, Türkiye
5
Department of Software Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro 76080, Pakistan
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2024, 16(18), 7875; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16187875
Submission received: 13 August 2024 / Revised: 3 September 2024 / Accepted: 8 September 2024 / Published: 10 September 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Developing Sustainable Tourism Destinations in Times of Transition: Economic and Social Resilience in Destination Communities and the New Role of DDMMOs)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

:
The main purpose of this study was to reveal the relationships between green purchasing intention, sustainability consciousness, environmental attitude, and ecotourism experience within the scope of the theory of planned behaviour. The results of the analysis showed that there are positive relationships between sustainability consciousness, environmental attitude, ecotourism experience, and green purchasing intention. The model was tested using SPSS with 435 survey responses. Tourists with a higher consciousness of sustainability develop positive attitudes toward the environment. Tourists with positive attitudes toward the environment intend to purchase more green products. However, while tourists with more ecotourism experience have stronger green purchasing intentions, less ecotourism experience does not affect green purchasing intentions. This study highlights the critical role of sustainability consciousness in shaping environmental attitudes and behaviours.

1. Introduction

Tourism has become a vital industry for nations worldwide thanks to globalisation, population mobility, and advancements in transportation and communication. It boosts economies by creating jobs and income while benefiting residents and stimulating the production of goods and services [1], primarily in developing countries such as Türkiye. In addition to these positive effects, the tourism sector has negative effects. Historically, economic activities have been linked to environmental degradation, with recent research highlighting tourism as a contributor [2]. Environmental quality, with both adverse and favourable impacts, is now a crucial concern in the tourism sector. The adverse effects of tourism stem from the fact that the consumption of resources by tourists exceeds the environment’s capacity to sustain it at a suitable level.
Uncontrolled tourism poses various environmental risks, including soil erosion, heightened pollution levels, contamination of marine ecosystems, and loss of natural habitats. Since this situation causes a change in the ecological balance of destinations, tourists have become more sensitive to their effects. In addition, many businesses in the tourism industry have adopted sustainable tourism practices as a result of this sensitivity of tourists [3]. Therefore, the demand for products and services for ecotourism is increasing [4]. To meet this demand, destination development, management, and marketing organisations (DDMMOs) and tourism businesses should provide opportunities and support green products in the destination.
Green purchase intention reflects efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of consumption [5] and to support the sustainable development goals (SDGs) [6]. Since green purchasing is vital for natural resource conservation and environmental sustainability [7,8], it is crucial to identify its antecedents. One of the essential dynamics in green purchasing intention is the individual’s level of consciousness about sustainability [9,10]. The level of consciousness leads to more responsible consumption decisions [11]. Sustainability consciousness (SC) has an impact on individuals’ emotions because it integrates information on environmental, social, and economic matters, as well as psychological frameworks pertaining to the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours regarding these matters [12,13,14]. Thus, it forces individuals to change their attitudes toward sustainable behaviours [15].
Environmental attitude refers to an individual’s feelings and behaviours regarding environmental issues [16,17]. This concept is an indicator for the individual’s motivation to address environmental problems, efforts to protect resources, and understanding of sustainability. Individuals with highly environmental attitudes are generally consumers who are sensitive to ecological issues [18]. Hsieh et al. [19] claimed that sustainable tourism can promote environmental attitudes and support sustainable economic growth by functioning within the limits of natural ecosystems to ensure the preservation and long-term productivity of natural resources. Therefore, increasing tourists’ sustainability awareness within the scope of sustainable tourism may increase their green purchasing intentions. Several studies have examined environmental attitude, an important predecessor of green purchasing [20,21,22].
Despite the intense interest in environmental sustainability by researchers, there is a notable lack of research that has effectively addressed the relationship between sustainability consciousness and green purchase intention. We drew on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to explain this relationship [23]. This theory contends that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control have influences on a person’s behavioural intentions. Thus, tourists’ sustainability consciousness may affect their environmental attitudes. The belief that peers approve of sustainability-related behaviour and the perceived ease of performing sustainability-related behaviour may translate into green purchase intentions.
Another element to which tourists attach importance is ecotourism. Ecotourism can be defined as ecologically sustainable tourism primarily focusing on experiencing natural areas that promote environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and conservation [24]. The ecotourism experience enables tourists to understand, appreciate, and enjoy nature [25]. In this context, ecotourism is recognised as an experience-based product. In this process, tourists evaluate their ecotourism-based visits from a hedonic perspective and perceive them as meaningful experiences [26]. Lee and Moscardo [25] found that the environmental attitudes of tourists who have had this meaningful experience affect their behavioural intentions. Interpretive ecotourism can increase environmental awareness, be used to explore personal connections to nature and culture, and promote sustainable development [27]. Based on these results, we think that tourists’ ecotourism experience strengthens the positive relationship between tourists’ environmental attitudes and green purchase intentions.
Although the antecedents of green purchasing intention have been studied extensively in the literature, studies on the relationship between sustainability consciousness and ecotourism experience are limited. Considering the effects of the tourism industry on sustainable development, this deficiency in the literature attracted our attention. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the sustainability consciousness and green purchasing intention of tourists. We investigated the relationship between sustainability consciousness and green purchase intentions. We also examined the moderating role of ecotourism in the relationship between environmental attitudes and green purchase intentions. Implications for businesses and DDMMOs in the sustainable products market were discussed so that the increasing demand for sustainable products can also be met in the tourism sector. Both researchers and practitioners can play a role in preparing our world for a sustainable living process by understanding the interactions between sustainability consciousness and green purchasing intention. In this process, we believe that it is critically important to raise consumer consciousness, offer sustainable products to consumers, and encourage consumers to have sustainable consumption habits.

2. Literature Review and Hypothesis Development

2.1. Green Purchasing Intention

Intention is a conscious plan of action, which explicitly requires a behaviour and the motivation to actuate it [28]. Purchase intention is the tendency of a customer to buy a product [29]. When a brand is thought to offer the best features or product quality, that service or product tends to be purchased. Purchase intention results from a consumer’s interest in a product and their likelihood of purchasing [30]. Green purchasing intention is defined as an individual’s awareness of the concept of environmental sustainability and their preference for green companies, products, or services [31]. Green purchase intention is the consumer’s likelihood of buying an eco-friendly product [32]. It is related to consumers’ preferences for environmentally friendly products or services over other products or services [33]. Green purchasing refers to the preference for environmentally beneficial, recyclable, or protectable products that are considerate of ecological concerns [34]. It is, therefore, effective in reducing consumers’ environmental impacts [5] and supporting the SDGs [6].
Consumers with high social awareness engage in several activities to mitigate environmental problems. The main activities of conscious consumers are green purchasing intention and green purchasing behaviour [35]. Green products and services pollute the environment less and produce less emissions. Natural resources are protected because resources are used more efficiently when producing these products [36]. With green purchasing intention, the environmental damage caused by people’s actions can be reduced.
Intention is accepted as the best available predictor of human behaviour, being at the heart of the TPB framework [37]. Ajzen (1991) argued that the TPB should be used to better understand human social behaviour. This is because the TPB has a structure that measures individuals’ intentions, behaviours, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control [38]. The TPB model states that human behaviour is guided by three kinds of consideration: behavioural, normative, and control beliefs. These values result in specific outcomes, such as attitude toward the behaviour, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control [37]. So, the TPB connects the beliefs and behaviours of potential consumers [39]. The TPB can probably be applied to any behaviour requiring a specific amount of planning [40]. The thumb rule of the TPB stipulates that the more affirmative the attitude and perceived social pressure concerning consumer behaviour, the higher the perceived behavioural control and the greater the consumer’s intention of performing the behaviour [41]. The TPB is one of the most influential models that has been employed by several studies in the consumer behaviour domain. Previous studies have empirically confirmed the TPB for purchase intention regarding green products [42,43]. Topics such as green travel [44,45], tourist product selection [46,47], green hotel selection [48,49], tourist behaviour, and destination image [50,51] have been studied in the tourism literature regarding green purchasing intention.

2.2. Relationship between Green Purchasing Intention, Sustainability Consciousness, and Environmental Attitude

According to the TPB, the more positive the attitude toward consumer behaviour, the higher the perceived behavioural control and the greater the consumer’s intention to perform the behaviour [41]. The higher the consciousness of tourists about sustainability and their environmental attitudes, the higher their perceived behavioural control, i.e., the stronger their intent to purchase green products. In this relationship, we assume that ecotourism experience focusing on environmental and cultural understanding, the environment, and natural areas strengthens the relationship between environmental attitude and green purchase intention.
Consumers’ green purchasing decisions are influenced by increasing consciousness and the tendency toward sustainability [37]. Sustainability consciousness can be expressed as the state of awareness of the phenomenon of sustainability. This state of awareness includes the perceptions and experiences associated with knowingness, attitudes, and behaviours [15,52]. The purchasing decisions of individuals who are highly sustainability-conscious are affected by their level of consciousness [53]. The degree of consciousness of consumers influences how they react to green products [54]. Individuals with high sustainability consciousness engage in environmentally friendly behaviours such as reducing waste, recycling, and using renewable energy [55]. Similarly, tourists with high sustainability consciousness may purchase environmentally friendly products and services to interact with local communities, protect the natural environment, and minimise their travel environmental footprint. So, the following hypothesis was developed:
H1: 
Tourists’ sustainability consciousness is positively related to green purchase intention.
Attitude is an individual’s positive or negative assessment or degree of assessment toward a behaviour [23]. While attitude is the basic tendency that forms a person’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviours, consciousness is a mental awareness activity that objectively describes our experiences, personal ideas, and feelings. Environmental attitude is the sum of an individual’s intentions toward the behaviour formed by the influence of the person’s beliefs about ecological activities and problems [56]. Environmental attitude, characterised by intellectual, emotional, and behavioural aspects, is extroverted if it is related to the position of an individual or society regarding their attitudes and behaviours on environmental issues [16,17,57]. This attitude aspect includes environmental problems sensitivity, motivation, and desire to comprehend and solve these problems, protect natural resources, and ensure their renewal [58].
Conscious consumers care about recycling, waste reduction, energy saving, and choosing environmentally friendly products [59]. Tourists who are environmentally conscious, which is a dimension of sustainability consciousness, prefer green destinations that pay attention to critical issues such as carbon emissions and biodiversity protection [59,60].
The green purchasing intentions of tourists with high sustainability awareness and an environmental attitude toward their activities at the destination generally include environmentally friendly accommodation [61,62], sustainable transportation [46,63], natural and cultural tours [46], local products [64,65], and environmental events [66]. Such behaviours show how tourists’ sustainability consciousness and environmental attitude are reflected in their green purchasing intentions toward their activities at the destination. In their study, Homer and Kahle [67] determined that behavioural intentions for natural product preference are affected by attitudes. Therefore, sustainability awareness and environmental attitudes can lead individuals to exhibit environmentally friendly behaviour. Based on the TPB and the above empirical studies, the following hypotheses were developed, assuming that sustainability consciousness and environmental attitude have an impact on consumers’ green purchasing intentions:
H2: 
Tourists’ sustainability consciousness is positively related to their environmental attitudes.
H3: 
Tourists’ environmental attitudes positively relate to their green purchase intentions.
H4: 
Tourists’ environmental attitudes mediate the relationship between SC and green purchase intentions.

2.3. The Moderating Role of Ecotourism in the Relationship between Environmental Attitude and Green Purchasing Intention

The experience tourists have during their visit and the value of this experience affect their green purchasing intention [68]. Historically, looking for experience has explained tourism [26]. Nowadays, ecotourism is one of the most popular types of tourism experiences. Ecotourism is a unique subfield of tourism and includes ethical connotations, environmental concerns, and environmental impacts [69]. Ecotourism can be defined as ‘ecologically sustainable tourism that focuses primarily on the experience of natural areas and promotes environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and conservation’ [24].
The ecotourism experience enables tourists to understand, appreciate, and enjoy nature [25]. In this context, ecotourism is considered an experience-based product. In this process, tourists can evaluate their ecotourism-based visits from a hedonic perspective and perceive them as meaningful experiences [26]. From the perspective of ecotourism activity, green purchase intention emerges during and after participation in the activity [68]. Ecotourism experiences vary depending on the destination and activities. For example, the importance of the ecotourism experience for some ecotourists is being in touch with nature and sharing these experiences with like-minded people. Recent research has revealed that when consumption occurs, consumers often like to create experiences for themselves [68]. Jamrozy and Lawonk [4] suggested a strong relationship between emotional experience and ecotourism purchase intention. Lee and Moscardo [25] revealed that the environmental attitudes of tourists during ecotourism affected their behavioural intentions. Based on this information, tourists’ ecotourism experience strengthens the positive relationship between tourists’ environmental attitudes and green purchase intentions. Therefore, the following hypothesis was developed:
H5: 
Tourists’ ecotourism experiences moderate the relationship between environmental attitudes and green purchase intentions.

3. Method

This study used empirical methods to uncover the theoretical relationships underlying the variables under investigation. This approach allowed us to conduct a quantitative explanatory analysis. Figure 1 shows the research model.

3.1. Participations and Procedure

Domestic and foreign tourists who prefer Antalya as a holiday destination constituted the focus in this study. Antalya received over 16 million tourists in 2023 and became the fourth most-visited city in the world [70]. The sample size was calculated as 384 for a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error for a known population size [71]. The aim was to reach 500 people, and the authors collected data face-to-face from 460 people who volunteered to complete the questionnaire during April–October 2023. Data with a standard deviation of less than 0.00–0.200 were excluded from the data set, and analyses were performed on 435 data. The response rate was 92%. The 435 people were considered to represent the 16 million tourists [71]. Table 1 shows the participants’ demographics.

3.2. Measures

3.2.1. Sustainability Consciousness

Gericke et al. [72] developed the sustainability consciousness scale’s long and short versions. The scales have three subfactors: knowingness, attitudes, and behaviour regarding economic, social, and environmental context. The short version of the scale has 27 items measured on a five-point Likert scale. We adapted the scale to Turkish with Hambleton and Patsula’s [73] process and used the knowingness subscale with nine items regarding the current study’s aim and due to environmental knowledge being one of the strong predictors of environmentally friendly behaviours [74,75]. The items included “Reducing water consumption is necessary for sustainable development”, “Respecting human rights is necessary for sustainable development”, and “Wiping out poverty in the world is necessary for sustainable development”. The original and adapted scales had adequate internal consistency (0.70 and 0.93, respectively).

3.2.2. Green Purchase Intention

Green purchase intention was assessed using a 5-point unidimensional scale adapted by Nekmahmud et al. [63]. Participants rated their agreement with statements on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree, 5 = completely agree). Items included statements like “I am willing to choose environmentally friendly tourism products/services when I travel” and “I plan to choose environmentally friendly products/services during my traveling”. Higher scores reflect a stronger green purchase intention.

3.2.3. Ecotourism

We measured the participants’ ecotourism perception using the scale adapted by Olivar et al. [76]. This scale comprised five items: “There are tourist attractions that allow local people to interact with tourists”, “Tourism activities and environmental preservation support the quality of life of tourists and the community”, and “The community offers a variety of uniqueness, both the natural beauty of culture and craft art so that it becomes a beautiful experience for tourists”. Participants rated the ecotourism items using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree, 5 = completely agree). The internal reliability for the adapted scales was adequate (0.87).

3.2.4. Environmental Attitudes

Using the adapted scale by Nekmahmud et al. [63], we measured the participants’ environmental attitudes on a five-point Likert scale (1 = completely disagree, 5 = completely agree). The unidimensional scale’s four items are shown in Appendix A. The internal reliability for the adapted scales was adequate (0.81).
We adapted all scales to Turkish using Hambleton and Patsula’s [73] process.

3.3. Control Variables

The research on green purchasing indicates that demographic variables may affect green purchase intention [77,78]. Thus, we compared the means of demographic variables regarding green purchase intention using a t-test and one-way ANOVA. Before the ANOVA, normality was checked. Skewness and kurtosis values (−1.04 −0.745) indicated that the related variables fit a normal distribution [79]. The results showed that sex and age significantly differed. The mean scores for women (M = 3.98, SD = 1.03) and men (M = 3.77, SD = 1.05) significantly differed, t (433) = −2.13, p = 0.034, Cohen’s d = 1.04. The mean difference was −0.21, 95% CI [−0.41, −0.06]. An ANOVA was conducted to determine if there were significant differences in green purchase intention scores across ages. The results showed a significant effect of age, F (2, 432) = 2.91, p = 0.005, η2 = 0.01. Post hoc tests using Tukey’s HSD indicated that those aged 27 and younger (M = 3.77, SD = 1.14) had a significantly lower mean score than those aged 28–43 (M = 4.02, SD = 0.90, p = 0.04). The mean difference between those aged 27 and younger and those aged 28–43 was −0.25, 95% CI [−0.51, −0.01]. Women and older participants had stronger environmental perceptions than men and younger participants. Therefore, the regression analysis included sex and age as control variables.

3.4. Analytical Strategies

In this study, the authors gathered participants’ self-reported data. The authors used IBM SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 23.0. Using AMOS 23.0, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the measurement model as well as convergent and discriminant validity. PROCESS Macro [80], grounded on regression-based path analysis, was utilised with SPSS 27.0 to evaluate the research model presented in Figure 1. The authors centred the predictor variables before generating interaction terms to address the multicollinearity issue.

4. Results

We examined common method variance bias due to the use of cross-sectional data. To address this concern, we employed the standard latent factor technique on the four-factor baseline model. We analysed the data by comparing the unconstrained and zero-constrained common latent factor model chi-square values. The results revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in the chi-square values between the models, indicating invariance (Δχ2(340) = 290, p > 0.05). Therefore, the findings suggested that common method bias did not significantly impact this study’s results.
The skewness and kurtosis values of the variables (−2.292 to 2.532) suggested that the data were normally distributed [79]. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was utilised to assess convergent and discriminant validity, revealing factor loadings ranging from 0.69 to 0.87. Table 2 displays the average variance extracted (AVE), composite reliability (CR), Cronbach’s alpha, and maximum shared variance (MSV). Nearly all item factor loadings (one item 0.69) exceeded 0.70, and AVE values surpassed 0.50, confirming convergent validity. The Fornell–Larcker criterion showed that the AVE values exceeded the MSV [81], which confirmed discriminant validity. The CR and Cronbach’s alpha values, exceeding 0.70, confirmed scale reliability.
Using AMOS 23.0, the CFA results showed the measurement model fit the data well (χ2 = 442.300, df = 224, χ2/df = 1.975, CFI = 0.971, SRMR = 0.033, RMSEA = 0.047, PClose = 0.740) based on chi-square statistics and fit indices [82].
Table 3 presents the relationships, averages, and standard deviations. All variables showed significantly positive Pearson correlations. The means of all variables were higher than the midpoint (3). The significant correlations between sustainability consciousness, green purchase intention, and environmental attitudes supported the preliminary acceptance of hypotheses H1 and H2.
Using the PROCESS Macro (Model 14) in SPSS, the authors conducted a regression-based path analysis to test the hypotheses. The findings are presented in Table 4. Sustainability consciousness had a positive impact on environmental attitude and green purchase intention. Environmental attitude had a positive effect on green purchase intention. Adding the mediator (environmental attitude) and interaction (environmental attitude × ecotourism) variables to the regression model significantly increased the explained variance (R2 = 0.06, p < 0.05, R2 = 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively). The authors also checked the interactions between sustainability consciousness (independent) and environmental attitude (mediator). Due to the insignificant interaction (F = 2.37, p > 0.05), we did not include the interaction terms of the independent and mediator variables in the regression model. Environmental attitude significantly mediated the relationship between sustainability consciousness and green purchase intention (effect = 0.07, SE = 0.03, LLCI = 0.02, ULCI = 0.15, bootstraps = 5000). The results also showed that ecotourism moderated the mediated relationship between environmental attitude and green purchase intention (R2 = 0.01, p < 0.05).
The interaction graph constructed using conditioning values provided a better understanding of the moderating influence. Figure 2 presents a detailed analysis of how ecotourism influenced the relationship between environmental attitude and green purchase intention. High levels of ecotourism perception enhanced the impact of environmental attitude on green purchase intention. Essentially, participants with high ecotourism experience had more green purchase intention, and more positive environmental attitudes strengthened this positive relationship.
The results supported all the hypotheses in this study.

5. Discussion

This study revealed that sustainability consciousness was positively related to environmental attitude and green purchase intention. These results add to the literature on sustainable consumption by emphasising the vital influence of sustainability consciousness on the formation of environmental attitudes and intentions to buy green products. The correlation between sustainability consciousness and environmental attitudes aligns with that found in earlier studies, indicating that individuals with higher consciousness and more concern about sustainability are more inclined to develop robust pro-environmental attitudes [22,76,83].
Focusing research on tourists provides valuable insights into sustainable practices in the tourism industry, as seen in other studies on eco-conscious behaviours among tourists. Han and Kim [84] showed that pro-environmental mindsets influenced tourists’ choices regarding environmentally friendly accommodations. Another study found that environmental attitudes indirectly affected the relationship between sustainability consciousness and green purchase intention. Liu et al. [75] stated that environmental attitudes fully mediated the effect of environmental knowledge on pro-environmental behaviours.
The current study revealed that ecotourism moderates the impact of environmental attitude on green purchase intention. While strong ecotourism perceptions strengthened the positive effect of environmental attitudes on green purchase intention, weak ecotourism perceptions did not moderate this relationship. Liu et al. [75] showed that the external context moderated the relationship between environmental intentions and pro-environmental behaviours.
The difference test also showed that the mean green purchase intention significantly differed according to sex and age. Women and older participants had stronger green purchase intentions. As a control variable, sex also significantly affected environmental attitude. However, this effect became insignificant in the moderated mediation model when the dependent variable was green purchase intention. Age had a significant impact when sustainability consciousness, environmental attitude, and ecotourism were added to the regression model.
The results of this research can guide marketing strategies and policy measures designed to promote environmentally friendly products for DDMMOs. DDMMOs can capitalise on the relationship between sustainability awareness and the intention to purchase green products by creating promotional initiatives that increase consumers’ knowledge of and concern about environmental issues. Educational programmes and awareness campaigns highlighting the ecological advantages of green products can contribute to developing stronger pro-environmental attitudes among consumers [85]. Regarding policymakers, this study indicates the importance of implementing policies that endorse sustainability education and awareness initiatives. By including sustainability in educational programs and public awareness campaigns [86], DDMMOs can encourage the formation of a more environmentally conscious society that supports green consumption.
Although this research provides essential findings in examining the relationship among sustainability consciousness, environmental attitude, ecotourism, and green purchase intention, it has some limitations. First, this study was conducted in a specific geographic region, so the generalisability of the results may be limited. Future research could confirm these findings by examining similar relationships in different sectors and destinations. In addition, by conducting more in-depth analyses of the moderating role of ecotourism, the effects of varying levels of ecotourism on environmental attitude and green purchase intention can be examined in more detail.
This study highlights the critical role of sustainability consciousness in shaping environmental attitudes and behaviours. This can help drive more environmentally responsible consumption patterns within the tourism sector and across various consumer markets. DDMMOs can organise awareness programs, provide training, organise environmental protection activities, and organise campaigns to increase the awareness of green products in order to increase tourists’ sustainability consciousness. They can also prepare programs to increase sustainability awareness among stakeholders in the destination. Policy makers can provide legal regulations and incentives to increase the supply of green products in the destination.

6. Conclusions

By focusing on the antecedents of green purchase intention, this research provides valuable insights into the psychological and behavioural factors that drive sustainable consumption. DDMMOs stands to benefit from these insights. Tourism has a substantial environmental footprint as one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economic sectors. Understanding how to foster green purchase intentions among tourists can help reduce this footprint and promote more sustainable tourism practices.
This study contributes to the theoretical development of sustainable consumer behaviour models by integrating these constructs into a comprehensive framework. It provides empirical evidence supporting the importance of sustainability consciousness in shaping pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, offering a robust foundation for future research in this area. Increasing the sustainability consciousness of tourists causes them to develop positive attitudes toward the environment. Tourists with positive attitudes toward the environment intend to purchase more green products. However, while tourists with more ecotourism experience have stronger green purchase intention, having a weak perception of ecotourism does not affect green purchase intention.

Author Contributions

Conceptualisation, P.C.C., K.K. and Y.G.; methodology, K.K.; software, N.E.; validation, Y.G., P.C.C., M.S.M. and A.B.S.; formal analysis, K.K. and P.C.C.; investigation, N.E.; resources, M.S.M.; data curation, P.C.C.; writing—original draft preparation, P.C.C., N.E. and K.K.; writing—review and editing, P.C.C., N.E. and Y.G.; visualisation, A.B.S.; supervision, K.K.; project administration, P.C.C.; funding acquisition, Y.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research, the Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia (KFU241519).

Institutional Review Board Statement

This article was approved by the following ethics committees: Akdeniz University—Social and Human Sciences Scientific Research and Publication Ethical Committee (Ref: 10/253).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the research.

Data Availability Statement

The data analyzed during this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Appendix A. Scales

Sustainability Consciousness (K: Knowingness)
K3: Reducing water consumption is necessary for sustainable development.
K14: Preserving the variety of living creatures is necessary for sustainable development (preserving biological diversity).
K21: For sustainable development, people need to be educated on how to protect themselves against natural disasters.
K5: A culture where conflicts are resolved peacefully through discussion is necessary for sustainable development.
K10: Respecting human rights is necessary for sustainable development.
K11: To achieve sustainable development, everyone must have access to good education.
K12: Sustainable development requires that companies act responsibly toward their employees, customers, and suppliers.
K16: Sustainable development requires a fair distribution of goods and services among people in the world.
K17: Wiping out poverty in the world is necessary for sustainable development.
Green Purchase Intention
GPI1: I will choose environmentally friendly tourism products/services when I travel.
GPI2: I plan to choose environmentally friendly products/services during my travel.
GPI3: I will try to buy environmentally friendly products and services while traveling.
GPI4: I will purchase products/services that are less environmentally harmful.
GPI5: I will avoid buying products and services that are potentially harmful to tourist places.
Ecotourism
E1: There are conservation efforts with the mission of protecting nature.
E2: There are tourist attractions that allow local people to interact with tourists.
E3: Tourism activities and environmental preservation support the quality of life of tourists and the community.
E4: Tourism activities and environmental preservation support the quality of life of tourists and the community.
E5: The community offers a variety of uniqueness, both the natural beauty of culture and craft art, so it becomes a beautiful experience for tourists.
Environmental Attitudes
EA1: I am favourable to purchasing environmentally friendly products/services when I travel.
EA2: During my travels, I feel much better about purchasing environmentally friendly products.
EA3: Using environmentally friendly products during my travels is worth using because they will help conserve natural resources.
EA4: Using environmentally friendly products/services will reduce pollution and improve the environment of tourist places.

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Sustainability 16 07875 g001
Figure 1. The research model.
Figure 1. The research model.
Sustainability 16 07875 g001
Sustainability 16 07875 g002
Figure 2. Interaction graph.
Figure 2. Interaction graph.
Sustainability 16 07875 g002
Table 1. Demographic characteristics.
Table 1. Demographic characteristics.
VariableFrequencyPercentVariableFrequencyPercent
Sex Age
Male20747.627 and younger22952.6
Female22852.428–4315635.9
Occupation 44 and older5011.5
Private sector13932.0Education *
Student10323.7High school7216.6
Public sector9020.7Bachelor’s degree27663.4
Not working235.3Master’s degree8720.0
Housewife112.5Marital Status
Retired112.5Married14232.6
Others5813.3Single29367.4
* The authors labelled students as having bachelor’s degrees.
Table 2. CR, AVE, MSV, and Cronbach’s alpha values of scales.
Table 2. CR, AVE, MSV, and Cronbach’s alpha values of scales.
CRAVEMSVCronbach
Sustainability consciousness0.9660.6320.190.936
Green purchase intention0.9370.7510.200.929
Environmental attitudes0.9380.7530.190.918
Ecotourism0.8680.6220.150.877
Table 3. The means, standard deviations, and correlation values.
Table 3. The means, standard deviations, and correlation values.
MeanSD123
1, Sustainability consciousness4.340.79-
2, Green purchase intention4.080.960.42 **-
3, Environmental attitudes4.200.920.41 **0.29 **
4, Ecotourism3.780.950.35 **0.34 **0.13 **
** Correlation was significant at the 0.01 level (two-tailed).
Table 4. Results of regression analysis.
Table 4. Results of regression analysis.
VariablesβSEpR2/ΔR2LLCIULCI
Outcome variable: environmental attitude
Constant
Sustainability consciousness (Sc)
Sex
Age

−2.32
0.53
0.34
0.06

0.24
0.05
0.08
0.06

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.35

0.19



−2.81
0.42
0.16
−0.06

−1.83
0.64
0.51
0.18
Outcome variable: green purchase intention
Constant
Sustainability consciousness
Environmental attitude (Ea)
Ecotourism (Et)
Interaction (Ea X Et)
Sex
Age

1.99
0.43
0.15
0.21
0.09
0.03
0.15

0.29
0.06
0.04
0.04
0.03
0.08
0.06

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.65
0.01

0.26/0.07

1.41
0.29
0.05
0.12
0.02
−0.13
0.02

2.58
0.56
0.24
0.30
0.16
0.21
0.27
Conditional indirect effect
Ecotourism		Mean
−1.02
0.00
1.02		Effect
0.03
0.08
0.13		SE *
0.04
0.03
0.04		 LLCI *
−0.04
0.02
0.05		ULCI *
0.13
0.15
0.22
LLCI: lower limit of confidence interval, ULCI: upper limit of confidence interval; * bootstrap (5000) number; for sex, 1: male, 2: female; for age, 1: 27 and below, 2: 28–43, 3: 44 and above.
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MDPI and ACS Style

Gulzar, Y.; Eksili, N.; Koksal, K.; Celik Caylak, P.; Mir, M.S.; Soomro, A.B. Who Is Buying Green Products? The Roles of Sustainability Consciousness, Environmental Attitude, and Ecotourism Experience in Green Purchasing Intention at Tourism Destinations. Sustainability 2024, 16, 7875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16187875

AMA Style

Gulzar Y, Eksili N, Koksal K, Celik Caylak P, Mir MS, Soomro AB. Who Is Buying Green Products? The Roles of Sustainability Consciousness, Environmental Attitude, and Ecotourism Experience in Green Purchasing Intention at Tourism Destinations. Sustainability. 2024; 16(18):7875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16187875

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gulzar, Yonis, Nisa Eksili, Kemal Koksal, Pinar Celik Caylak, Mohammad Shuaib Mir, and Arjumand Bano Soomro. 2024. "Who Is Buying Green Products? The Roles of Sustainability Consciousness, Environmental Attitude, and Ecotourism Experience in Green Purchasing Intention at Tourism Destinations" Sustainability 16, no. 18: 7875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16187875

APA Style

Gulzar, Y., Eksili, N., Koksal, K., Celik Caylak, P., Mir, M. S., & Soomro, A. B. (2024). Who Is Buying Green Products? The Roles of Sustainability Consciousness, Environmental Attitude, and Ecotourism Experience in Green Purchasing Intention at Tourism Destinations. Sustainability, 16(18), 7875. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16187875

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