Going green: predicting tourists' intentions to stay at eco-friendly hotels – the roles of green attitude and environmental concern

Purpose – By anchoring on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) framework, this research aims to examine the effect of tourists’ green ability, motivation, opportunity to access green information on digital media platforms (green AMO) on their intention to stay at green hotels. The study also tests the moderating role of environmental concern and the mediating role of green attitude in this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was conducted on large Facebook groups and by an international tour operator in March 2022. Through convenience sampling, 600 responses were collected from local and international tourists. PLS-SEM was performed to validate the research model.
Findings – The results reveal that tourists’ intention to stay at green hotels is positively affected by their green AMO through indirect and direct channels. Specifically, green AMO indirectly effects tourists’ intention to stay at green hotels by raising their green attitude. The results also indicate that the direct effect is moderated by environmental concern.
Practical implications – The findings demonstrate the importance of facilitating tourists’ access to environmental information on social media platforms, which enhances green attitude and intention to stay at green hotels. This study also proposes practical solutions that managers of green hotels can employ to target green-oriented customers and conduct environmental campaigns on digital platforms.
Originality/value – The research is the first to investigate the effects of tourists’ green AMO on their intention to stay at green hotels. It is also the first to explore the roles of environmental concern and green attitude in this relationship.