Greenwashing Behavior in Hotels Industry: The Role of Green Transparency and Green Authenticity

Mansour Alyahia (), Alaa M. S. Azazz (), Sameh Fayyad, Ibrahim A. Elshaer and Abuelkassem A. A. Mohammad
Additional contact information
Mansour Alyahia: Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa 380, Saudi Arabia
Alaa M. S. Azazz: Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Arts College, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa 380, Saudi Arabia
Sameh Fayyad: Hotel Studies Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt
Ibrahim A. Elshaer: Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa 380, Saudi Arabia
Abuelkassem A. A. Mohammad: Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-20

Abstract: Greenwashing has become a pervasive phenomenon in the tourism and hospitality sector, posing significant challenges and potential reputational damage to green hotels. Despite its prevalence, research on mitigating greenwashing’s influence on guest trust and behavior remains limited. This study addresses this gap by investigating the moderating roles of green authenticity (GA) and green transparency (GTR) in the relationship between greenwashing and guest green trust (GT), ultimately influencing patronage intentions (PI) towards green hotels. Employing a quantitative approach, the study utilized a questionnaire survey administered to 309 participants, capturing their experiences with green hotels. Subsequent structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis in Smart PLS 4 confirmed several key findings. Firstly, hotel greenwashing negatively impacted green trust and subsequent patronage intentions, encompassing both intentions to stay (IS) at green hotels and willingness to pay a premium (WPP) for green hotels. Secondly, the study established green trust as a significant mediator in the greenwashing–patronage relationship. Most importantly, the analysis revealed the crucial moderating roles of both green authenticity and green transparency. Increased perceptions of GA and GTR significantly attenuated the negative influence of greenwashing on green trust and, consequently, strengthened the positive relationship between GT and PI. These findings suggest that fostering genuine environmentally friendly practices and ensuring clear communication of sustainability efforts can effectively counteract the detrimental effects of greenwashing on green-hotel patronage. The study’s implications extend to practical considerations for green-hotel managers, offering insights into preventive measures to diminish the adverse effects of greenwashing, thereby contributing to the long-term sustainability of their operations.

Keywords: greenwashing; authenticity; transparency; patronage; green hotels (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 (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/3/1050/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/3/1050/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:1050-:d:1326559

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().