LIKE, SHARES, AND TOURIST SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOUR: THE POWER OF USER-GENERATED CONTENT IN GREEN TRAVEL
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1145056Keywords:
Green Travel, Responsible Behaviour, Social Media, Sustainability Cities, User-generated ContentAbstract
The emergence of new technologies has led to the rise of a new phase of social media with special interactivity features. Today, social media has become an important resource for individuals to gain information, communicate and create engage with others. User-generated content (UGC) is one of the methods of communication on social media platforms where users can interact with each other using various interactivity features provided by social media. Literature review indicates that UGC plays an important role in shaping individual behaviour decisions. Nevertheless, in the case of sustainability behaviour, research about the influence of UGC on tourists’ responsible environmental behaviour is relatively new, insufficient, and requires further attention. Hence, this study was conducted to examine how UGC can influence tourists’ environmental concerns, environmental attitudes and responsible behaviour. Based on a cross-sectional design, this study was conducted among local tourists in the area of Klang Valley. Through a self-administered survey, a total of 259 responses were collected from individuals who are actively involved in nature-based activities. The Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyse the research model and test the hypothesis. The research findings discovered that UGC is significant as a predictor of tourists’ environmental concerns, environmental attitudes and environmentally responsible behaviour. Significantly, the results provide valuable insights for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), tourism marketers, and policymakers about the need for strategic integration of social media and UGC in sustainability campaigns that could contribute to the SDG 11 sustainability cities and communities. In conclusion, this study indicates the importance of social media integration in promoting sustainable behaviour among tourists.
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