Environmental beliefs, childhood behaviour or habits – Which best explains adult pro-environmental behaviour on vacation?

Tourist behaviour contributes significantly to the industry's environmental burden and, therefore, must change. However, currently dominant environmental belief-based theories of pro-environmental tourist behaviour fail to consistently generate successful behaviour change interventions. Childhood behaviour offers a promising alternative. If childhood behaviour leads to adult habits, childhood may represent a critical time for instilling pro-environmental tourist habits. Using self-report adult habit strength, environmental beliefs, and behaviour across adulthood and childhood, this study reveals that self-reported childhood behaviours are indeed positively associated with adult habits, and such habits explain 41 % of variance of general pro-environmental behaviour in adulthood vacations, compared to 3 % explained by environmental beliefs. For recycling, conserving water and energy, and reducing food waste, results are similar – substantially favouring habits over environmental beliefs. This study points to a potential new approach for tourism professionals to influence tourists' pro-environmental behaviour – by building habits in childhood, and breaking or reinforcing them in adulthood.