Factors affecting ecotour purchase decision in Vietnam

Abstract

With the increasing awareness of environmental issues as well as the shift in travel behavior to more environmentally friendly products and services, ecotourism is getting more attention from both tourism suppliers and visitors. This study investigates factors affecting ecotour purchase decision and level of significant of each determinant. This study used quantitative methods with questionnaires distributed online and there were 214 respondents. The results showed that four factors including environmental responsibility, environmental knowledge, social value and financial value have positive impact on ecotour purchase decision. This study aimed to fulfill the gap in analyzing ecotourism by giving insights of tourists‟ decision – making process and useful recommendations to develop tourism industry. Purpose – The objectives of this study including identifying factors having significant effect on tourists‟ ecotour purchase decision in the context of Vietnam. Moreover, this research tries to evaluate to what extent each independent variable affects dependent variable. Design/methodology/approach – This study adapted the research models about consumption values of Sheth, J. N. et al. in 1991 and Kumar, P., and Ghodeswar, B. M. in 2015 to analyze ecotour purchase decision of tourists in Vietnam with seven factors proposed in the model, including environmental value, environmental responsibility, environmental knowledge, functional value, financial value, emotional value and social value. Originality/value – This study acts as a reference for travel agents, tour operators, marketers and local people in tourism industry to find out insights about how tourists make their decision in purchasing ecotour. Keywords: Ecotour, Ecotourism, Green travel, Consumption Value, Ecotour purchase decision