How Does Environmental Education Moderate Local People’s Commitment to the Environment and Intention to Support Tourism Development?

Derya Ozilhan Ozbey, Gul Coskun Degirmen (), Yigit Guven (), Ebru Gozen, Cem Taner Hicyakmazer, Dilek Yalız Solmaz and Arif Aytekin
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Derya Ozilhan Ozbey: Department of Tourism Management, Serik Faculty of Business, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07600, Türkiye
Gul Coskun Degirmen: Department of Tourism Management, Serik Faculty of Business, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07600, Türkiye
Yigit Guven: Department of Recreation Management, Institute of Graduate Studies, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Ankara 06830, Türkiye
Ebru Gozen: Department of Recreation Management, Manavgat Tourism Faculty, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07600, Türkiye
Cem Taner Hicyakmazer: Department of Tourism Management, Institute of Social Science, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya 42310, Türkiye
Dilek Yalız Solmaz: Department of Physical Education and Sports, Sports Sciences Faculty, Eskisehir Technical University, Eskisehir 07600, Türkiye
Arif Aytekin: Department of Social Work, Manavgat Social Sciences and Humanities Faculty, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07600, Türkiye

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-22

Abstract: This research has been conducted to determine the environmental commitment of local people and its effect on the intention to support sustainable tourism development based on the Value–Belief–Norm Theory. In addition to related studies in the literature, the present study also examined the moderating role of environmental education. The study data were obtained from local people living in Manavgat, Antalya, one of the most notable tourism destinations in Turkey. Prior to testing the hypothetical research model through the structural model, the data were examined for outlier calculations, normality distributions, and potential multicollinearity issues. As a consequence of obtaining satisfactory findings, the structural model was tested using the AMOS program. Moreover, the Process macro (model 1) was preferred to measure the moderator effect. The results of this research demonstrate the consistency of the Value–Belief–Norm Theory and show that residents’ personal norms influence their environmental commitment and intention to support sustainable tourism development. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed the moderating role of environmental education in these relationships. Several theoretical and practical implications have been identified for destination management organizations, industry managers, policy-makers, and academics working in the field.

Keywords: environmental commitment; sustainable tourism development; environmental education; local people (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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