From Sustainable Tourism to Social Engagement: A Value-Belief-Norm Approach to the Roles of Environmental Knowledge, Eco-Destination Image, and Biospheric Value

Sana Alashiq () and Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani
Additional contact information
Sana Alashiq: Department of Business Administration, Institute of Graduate Research and Studies, University of Mediterranean Karpasia, via Mersin 10, Mersin 33010, Northern Cyprus, Turkey
Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani: Department of Business Administration, Institute of Graduate Research and Studies, University of Mediterranean Karpasia, via Mersin 10, Mersin 33010, Northern Cyprus, Turkey

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-28

Abstract: This study, grounded in the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory, examines how tourism sustainability influences pro-environmental tourist behavior through the mediating roles of environmental knowledge and eco-destination image and the moderating role of biospheric value. Data were collected from 396 tourists visiting major destinations in Northern Cyprus via an online survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to assess direct, mediating, and moderating effects. The findings reveal that tourism sustainability positively influences social engagement propensity, with both environmental knowledge and eco-destination image acting as significant mediators. Moreover, biospheric values were found to enhance the relationship between tourism sustainability and both mediators, although no moderating effect was observed between tourism sustainability and social engagement propensity. This study extends the application of the VBN theory in the tourism context by framing social engagement as a norm-driven outcome. It provides valuable insights for destination managers aiming to promote sustainable behaviors in emerging eco-tourism settings. This study is limited by its cross-sectional design and single-destination focus. Future research could explore diverse cultural settings and adopt longitudinal approaches to validate and expand upon these findings.

Keywords: value-belief-norm theory; eco-destination image; environmental knowledge; biospheric value; sustainable tourism; social engagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4353/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4353/ (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:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4353-:d:1653688

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 ().