The effect of perception of carbon labels on hotel choice

As climate change has resulted in serious environmental problems, concerns about climate change have considerably increased in the tourism sector. Carbon labels have been introduced as a mitigation mechanism for climate change to enhance consumers’ sustainable consumption. This study explores how the perception of carbon labels affects consumer choice toward hotels by applying an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), which included the perceived importance and credibility of carbon labels as the antecedents of the TPB. Using structural equation modeling, survey results from hotel customers in South Korea find that both perceived importance and credibility of carbon labeling indeed exert a positive influence on consumers’ attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, which in turn influence their intention to visit carbon-labeled hotels. This study reveals that consumers’ positive perception of carbon labels plays a leading role in the eco-friendly decision-making process.