Investigating values of green marketing tools in predicting tourists’ eco-friendly attitudes and behavior

ABSTRACT The environment often suffers harmful consequences caused by the irresponsible behavior of individuals and businesses. In this sense, neither the tourism industry nor tourists are spared these accusations. Therefore, tourism literature highlights the significance of exploring tourists’ eco-friendly attitudes and behavior and determinants of the formation of both eco-friendly attitudes and behavior. Additionally, consumer literature sheds light on how important green marketing is in changing consumers’ behavior and leading them towards greener consumption behavior. Nevertheless, existing tourism literature on the role of green marketing approaches in predicting tourists’ eco-friendly attitudes and behavior is quite scarce. Hence, the principal aim of the research was to investigate whether the green marketing tool – green packaging and branding, influences tourists’ eco-friendly attitudes and behavior. Additionally, the present paper focused on tourists’ preferences toward green packaging. In an effort to establish this, survey research was conducted among 368 Serbian tourists. The results showed that green packaging and branding positively shape tourists eco-friendly attitudes and behavior, and that attitudes represent significant predictor of behavior. The valuable contribution of this paper lies in practical implications for destination marketers, which highlight how the promotion of green products in tourism could enhance potential tourists’ eco-friendly attitudes and behavior.