INTERNATIONAL REPORT—Tourism can offer unforgettable experiences, but it comes with increasing environmental costs. As sustainability takes center stage in the industry, an emerging focus is on how travelers themselves can make a difference through pro-environmental behavior. To date, however, the interplay of personal and cultural values in shaping such behavior remains underexplored. Seeking to fill this gap, Professor Dori Davari and Professor Seongseop Kim of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, working with a co-author, targeted Chinese millennials, a major consumer group known for valuing luxury and self-expression while showing growing environmental concern. This demographic offered a unique lens through which to investigate the influence of values on tourists’ Pro-environmental Behavior (PEB), yielding guidance for fostering sustainable tourism practices amongst one of the world’s most influential populations.
Tourism places enormous stress on the environment. It consumes huge volumes of natural resources, contributes as much as 5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and causes overcrowding, traffic congestion and damage to local communities. No wonder, then, that sustainable development has become a major focus of almost all stakeholders in the tourism industry.
“An effective strategy for promoting sustainable tourism is to encourage and engage customers in pro-environmental behavior,” say the researchers. Such behavior is consciously intended to minimize the negative impact of one’s actions on the natural and built environment. For example, tourists who exhibit PEB might choose to travel by train rather than airplane, stay at hotels that prioritize sustainability and buy souvenirs from local artisans rather than mass-produced goods.
Promoting Travelers’ PEB is a Critical Task
Given its potential benefits, promoting travelers’ PEB is a critical task for policy makers and destination managers. But what factors can increase tourists’ awareness of the need for sustainability and willingness to behave in an environmentally friendly manner while enjoying their travels?
“Pro-environmental behavior is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by both individual and cultural values,” say the authors. For example, research has shown that hedonic values—individual values that emphasize pleasure, enjoyment and delight over functional (utilitarian) benefits—may either promote or inhibit PEB. Meanwhile, the cultural value of femininity (versus masculinity) is associated with greater care for the environment and nature.
However, the authors noted an important research gap: no studies to date had simultaneously examined the influence of individual values and cultural values on PEB. To fill this gap, they selected an important and understudied population for analysis: Chinese millennials, or the so-called “Generation Y”, who currently make up more than 27.3 percent of the Chinese population.
“Interestingly”, the researchers explain, “there is empirical evidence that Chinese millennials have different consumption behaviors.” They tend to value self-expression and regard luxury goods and brands as symbols of success, while at the same time exhibiting increasing concern about the environment. “Therefore”, the researchers note, “examining their pro-environmental behavior in the tourism context could unveil new mysteries.”
Three Objectives of Research
Focusing on tourists from China’s Generation Y, the authors set out to achieve three objectives. First, they aimed to reveal the influence of both individual and cultural values on PEB. Second, they asked how the relationship between values and PEB is mediated by a preference for sustainable tourism. Finally, they measured the impact of environmental concern on the strength of the relationship between values and PEB.
Individual values were considered in terms of hedonic and utilitarian values, which guide consumers to make decisions based on pleasure and functionality, respectively. “Both hedonic and utilitarian values are necessary conditions for fostering a high level of pro-environmental attitude and behavior,” the researchers proposed. That is, tourists who focus on pleasure are more likely than not to choose sustainable travel options and adopt eco-friendly behaviors during their trips. Similarly, those who value practicality and efficiency are inclined towards sustainable tourism.
Meanwhile, cultural values were defined using Hofstede’s (2011) five-dimensional model. The authors hypothesized that sustainable travel and PEB are inhibited by four of the cultural values identified by Hofstede—high power distance, masculinity, individualism and uncertainty avoidance—and promoted by the fifth, namely long-term orientation.
To test their hypotheses, the authors conducted a survey and subjected the results to rigorous data analysis. “The population for this study was 350 million Chinese millennials,” they explain. Ultimately, 429 questionnaire responses were analyzed, representing the views of Chinese members of Generation Y who were aged between 20 and 40, understood how their behavior could impact the environment and were willing to participate in tourism activities.
The findings were instructive. “This paper revealed the importance of the cultural values of Chinese millennials in promoting both pro-environmental behavior and a preference for sustainable tourism,” report the researchers. As such, their findings provide strong support for previous research that has recommended exploring and testing cultural values as predictors of PEB.
Masculinity Harmful
Specifically, collectivism and a long-term orientation had a positive impact on the respondents’ pro-environmental attitudes, which was evident in both their preferences and their behaviors. Conversely, high levels of power distance and tolerance for uncertainty resulted in less pro-environmental attitudes. “Simultaneously, masculinity, as expressed in their tendency to obtain more profit in advance, was harmful,” explain the authors.
The results also shed light on the influence of individual values on Chinese millennials’ preference for sustainable tourism and PEB. This is important, the researchers tell us, because “culture must be understood at the individual level to enable the development of effective marketing tactics for promoting sustainable tourism and efficient pro-environmental behavior.” Hedonic and utilitarian values not only stimulated PEB amongst tourists but also intensified their preference for sustainable tourism.
The researchers also reported the novel finding that a preference for sustainable tourism acted as an intermediary mechanism linking cultural values and behavior. “Without a genuine awareness and internal appreciation of environmental issues and the importance of sustainability,” they note, “individuals are unlikely to prioritize a preference for sustainable tourism.”
These findings have timely practical implications in an age of overtourism. “Understanding Chinese millennials’ pro-environmental behavior considering cultural and personal values leads to developing innovative strategies to attract them to sustainable tourism,” the authors tell us. This is crucial given that most of Generation Y are parents and will continue to exert a major influence on China’s economy as the main consumers for the next few decades.
The Role of Social Media
Based on the findings, the researchers advise destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to “promote more masculine, less power-distant, less individualistic, more uncertainty-avoiding, and more long-term-oriented messages to attract Chinese millennial tourists.” To encourage this pivotal population to help save the environment, DMOs should involve them in activities such as “co-creating groups on social media or having an interactive presence on Chinese-dominated social media platforms.”
Millennials are also role models for the next generation, especially their own children. Governments and DMOs should thus emphasize the pleasure and enjoyment (hedonic values) to be gained from family pro-environmental travel experiences. Hosting eco-friendly events at schools, holding sustainability-specific festivals and celebrating Earth Day are examples of activities in which both Chinese millennial parents and their children can be involved.
“With such approaches,” the researchers say, “policymakers can target younger generations to foster pro-environmental attitudes in tourism from an early age and beyond.”
Dori Davari, Saeid Nosrati & Seongseop (Sam) Kim. (2024). Do Cultural and Individual Values Influence Sustainable Tourism and Pro-Environmental Behavior? Focusing on Chinese Millennials. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Vol. 41, Issue 4, 559–577.
