The behaviour of travellers in the transition to responsible tourism: the case of the Baltic Sea Region
Abstract
Changes in travellers’ behaviour are among the most significant issues in the recent revolution of the tourism industry. The perception of perceived value and quality lead to rethinking priorities and choices while travelling. The purpose of the article is to analyse the expression of travellers’ behaviour orientation towards the key elements of responsible tourism in the countries of the Baltic Sea Region. The findings of quantitative research, which has been carried out in the form of survey, reveal that the behaviour of travellers of the Baltic Sea Region confirms that responsible tourism has become a way of thinking. The transition to responsible tourism is primarily driven by tourism destination-related elements and the strength of the impact related to maintaining the quality of life of local people, redistributing the benefits of tourism for travel destinations, enhancing the value and distinctiveness of the travel destination product, and maintaining long-term attractiveness, within the capacity of the travel destination and efficient use of its tourism resources. It may be the direction towards more sustainable and responsible future of traveling.
Keyword : tourism, responsible tourism, the Baltic Sea Region, travellers’ behaviour, travellers’ attitude, COVID-19
How to Cite
Šimanskienė, L., Labanauskaitė, D., & Montvydaitė, D. (2022). The behaviour of travellers in the transition to responsible tourism: the case of the Baltic Sea Region. Business: Theory and Practice, 23(1), 187–197. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2022.16151
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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Baksi, A. K. & Parid, B. B. (2020). Impact of responsible tourism metrics on socio-environmental indicators in post Covid-19 environment: A predictive analysis using temporal causal modelling. Asian Tourism Research, 1(1), 372–391.
Butler, R. (1980). The concept of tourism area cycle of evolution. Canadian Geographer, 24(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0064.1980.tb00970.x
Chen, Y. G., Chen, Z. H., Ho, J. C., & Lee, Ch. S. (2009). In depth tourism influences on service innovation. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, 3(4), 326–336. https://doi.org/10.1108/17506180910994541
Cheng, J. Ch. H., Chiang, A. H., Yuan, Y., & Huang Y. Y. M. Y. (2018). Exploring antecedents of Green tourism behaviors: A case study in Suburban Areas of Taipei, Taiwan. Sustainability, 10(6), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061928
Chiu, Y. T., Lee, H., Wan, I., & Tsung-Hsiung, Ch. (2014). Environmentally responsible behaviour in ecotourism: Antecedents and implications. Tourism Management, 40, 321–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.06.013
Dias, Á., Aldana, I., Pereira, L., Lopes da Costa, R., & António, N. (2021). A measure of tourist responsibility. Sustainability, 13(6), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063351
Dolnicar, S., & Long, P. (2009). Beyond ecotourism: The environmentally responsible tourist in the general travel experience. Tourism Analysis, 14(4), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354209X12596287114291
Eichelberger, S., Heigl, M., Peters, M., & Pikkemaat, B. (2021). Exploring the role of tourists: Responsible behavior triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustainability, 13(11), 5774. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115774
European Commission. (2009). EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/cooperation/macro-regional-strategies/baltic-sea/
European Commision. (2019). A European Green Deal. https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en
Fachè, W. (2000). Methodologies for innovation and improvement of services in tourism. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 10(6), 356–366. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520010351185
Faracik, R. (2008). Potrzeby i motywacje turystyczne. Turystyka, chapter 4. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Government of South Africa, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. (1996). In the White paper “The development and promotion of tourism in South Africa”. https://www.tourism.gov.za/AboutNDT/Publications/Tourism%20White%20Paper.pdf
Ho, J. M., & Tan, K. L. (2021). The role of millennial tourists in promoting responsible tourism: A case in Singapore. Journal of Responsible Tourism Management, 1(1), 43–58.
Johnson, P., & Thomas, B. (1992). Perspectives on tourism policy. Marsell Publishing.
Kang, M., & Moscardo, G. (2006). Exploring cross-cultural differences in attitudes towards responsible tourist behaviour: A comparison of Korean, British and Australian tourists. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 11(4), 303–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941660600931143
Kardelis, K. (2002). Mokslinių tyrimų metodologija ir metodai. Judex.
Karimi, M., & Darban Astane, A. (2021). The role of responsible tourism on quality of life in rural Areas of Gorgan, Iran. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2021.1920548
Kim, M., & Thapa, B. (2018). Perceived value and flow experience: Application in a nature-based tourism context. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 8(2018), 373–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2017.08.002
Larson, L. R., Stedman, R. C., & Cooper, C. B. (2015). Understanding the multidimensional structure of pro-environmental behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 43, 112–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.06.004
Lee, T. H., Jan, F. H., & Yang, Ch. Ch. (2013). Conceptualizing and measuring environmentally responsible behaviours from the perspective of community-based tourists. Tourism Management, 36(2013), 454–468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2012.09.012
Mohamadi, S., Abbasi, A., Ranaei Kordshouli, H. A., & Askarifar, K. (2021). Conceptualizing sustainable–responsible tourism indicators: An interpretive structural modeling approach. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 24, 399–425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01442-9
Markose, M. N., & Vt, B. (2020). Resident’s attitude towards responsible tourism in the Post Covid-19 pandemic scenario. Asian Tourism Research, 1(1), 413–421.
Mondal, S., & Samaddar, K. (2021). Responsible tourism towards sustainable development: Literature review and research agenda. Asia Pacific Business Review, 27(2), 229–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2021.1857963
Naderifar, M., Goli, H., & Ghaljaei, F. (2017). Snowball sampling: a Purposeful method of sampling in qualitative research. Strides in Development of Medical Education, 14(3), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.5812/sdme.67670
Nguyen, P. M., Vo, N. D., To, Q. L., & Dinh, V. T. (2019). Towards responsible tourism in Vietnam: Critical review and implications for future research. In the 1st International Conference on Economics, Development and Sustainability (EDESUS 2019), 01. Springer International Publishing.
Peeters, P., Gossling, S., Klijs, J., Milano, C., Novelli M., Dijkmans, C., Eijgelaar, E., Hartman, S., Heslinga, J., Isaac, R., Mitas, O., Moretti, O., Nawijn, J., Papp B., & Postma, A. (2018). Overtourism: Impact and possible policy responses. Study, European Parliament. https://researchdata.brighton.ac.uk/id/eprint/149/1/IPOL_STU%282018%29629184_EN.pdf
Puhakka, R. (2011). Environmental concern and responsibility among nature tourists in Oulanka PAN park, Finland. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 11(1), 76–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2011.532589
Ratten, T. R. (2010). Future research directions in tourism marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 28(4), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634501011053702
Rudnicki, L. (2010). Zachowania konsumentów na rynku turystycznym. Proksenia.
Ruhanen, L., & Bowles, L. (2020). Student perspectives of responsible tourism behaviour: The role of tourism education. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 32(4), 255–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2019.1688160
Said, H. M. (2018). Investigating the responsible tourist behaviour in Egypt’s ecotourism destinations: A case study of Siwa. Journal of Tourism Research, 20, 60–73.
Sangkhaduang, T., Visuthismajarn, P., & Kongchouy, N. (2021). The relationship between responsible tourism practice, destination sustainability and quality of life: Perspective of Marine National Park communities. Planning, 16(5), 895–901. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.160510
Sica, E., Sisto, R., Bianchi, P., & Cappelletti, G. (2021). Inclusivity and responsible tourism: Designing a trademark for a National Park Area. Sustainability, 13(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010013
Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(3), 309–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2008.10.004
The Responsible Tourism Partnership. (2002). The Cape Town Declaration. https://responsibletourismpartnership.org/cape-town-declaration-on-responsible-tourism/
United Nations. (2018). 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. https://www.unido.org/2030-agenda-and-sustainable-development-goals
Vellas, F., & Becherel, L. (1995). International tourism: An economic perspective. Macmillan.
Wang, W., Wua, J., Wua, M.Y., & Pearce, Ph. L. (2018). Shaping tourists’ green behaviour: The hosts’ efforts at rural Chinese B & Bs. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 9, 194–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2018.01.006
Weeden, C. (2013). Responsible tourist behaviour (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.434/9780203855256
World Travel & Tourism Council. (2020). To recovery & beyond. The future of travel & tourism in the wake of COVID-19. https://wttc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/2020/To%20Recovery%20and%20Beyond-The%20Future%20of%20Travel%20Tourism%20in%20the%20Wake%20of%20COVID-19.pdf?ver=2021-02-25-183120-543