Title: Sustainability of marine park ecotourism in Malaysia: predicting environmentally responsible behaviour among millennial tourists

Authors: Siti Intan Nurdiana Wong Abdullah; Zaiton Samdin; Jo Ann Ho; Siew Imm Ng; Kit Teng Phuah

Addresses: Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia; Faculty of Business, Communication and Law, INTI International University, 71800 Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia ' Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia; Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia ' Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia ' Faculty of Economics and Management, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Selangor, Malaysia ' Faculty of Accountancy, Finance and Business, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, 53300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract: Promoting environmentally responsible behaviours (ERB) in ecotourism destinations such as marine park islands has become an important strategy because of growing concern on global depletion of natural environmental resources, but few studies have been able to provide a comprehensive explanation. This study aims to examine the antecedents of ERB among millennial tourists by proposing an extended model of ERB. Cross-sectional data from 386 cases were analysed using structural equation modelling and the results indicate that image, attitude, knowledge and consumption values have positive influence on intentions. Destination image and sound environmental knowledge turned out to be the main influences on their intention, with attitude and consumption values playing a minor role. This study also confirms that intention is a strong precursor of behaviour. This paper suggests the importance of providing educational programs as well as practising informative green marketing campaigns to encourage millennial tourists to behave responsibly.

Keywords: ecotourism; millennial tourists; marine parks; environmentally responsible behaviour; consumption values; knowledge; attitude; destination image; sustainable tourism.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2019.104917

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2019 Vol.22 No.6, pp.432 - 455

Received: 24 Jun 2019
Accepted: 19 Jul 2019
Published online: 06 Feb 2020 *

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