Abstract/Description

Tourism has emerged as a crucial source of livelihood for high mountain communities in Pakistan, leading to a notable increase in tourist influx over the past few years (Ali and Shedayi, 2023). This growth has created numerous income-generating opportunities for local communities, particularly in the hotel and transport sectors, offering substantial employment to the local population. However, tourism has significant adverse environmental impacts on destinations, especially fragile mountain areas (Ali, 2021). Irresponsible tourist behavior exacerbates these adverse effects (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2017; Lee et al., 2013). Therefore, understanding tourist behavior is crucial for effective destination management and policymaking. Developing and fostering environmentally responsible behavior among tourists is essential for sustainable tourism development. Sensitizing tourists about the features of destinations can significantly improve environmental conditions, potentially increasing revenue by up to 32.23% (Fenitra et al., 2022). Nurturing a sense of environmental responsibility among tourists is key to establishing a sustainable environment for tourist destinations. Encouraging environmentally friendly consumption practices and transportation options among tourists can mitigate tourism's negative impacts on the environment and biodiversity. The government of Gilgit-Baltistan has introduced a policy banning single-use plastic in key tourist destinations, facing immense environmental challenges due to tourism development. However, responsible tourist behavior is greatly influenced by internal psychological drivers (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2017; Lee et al., 2013). Socially responsible behavior has gained attention for its positive impact on tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior. This study examines how tourists' socially responsible awareness, comprising self-responsible awareness (SA) and public responsible awareness (PA), influences their environmentally responsible behavior in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

Keywords

Tourist environmental behavior, socially responsible behavior, high mountain region

Location

MAV 2 room, Adamjee building

Session Theme

Innovation, Productivity and Competitiveness

Session Type

Parallel Technical Session

Session Chair

Harun Ucak, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University

Session Discussant

Ateeb Shah, Institute of Business Administration ; Salman Khalid, Institute of Business Administration

Start Date

10-12-2024 3:15 PM

End Date

10-12-2024 5:15 PM

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Dec 10th, 3:15 PM Dec 10th, 5:15 PM

Does Tourists’ Perception of Social Responsibility Awareness Shape Tourists’ Environmental Behavior: A Case Study in a High Mountain Region

MAV 2 room, Adamjee building

Tourism has emerged as a crucial source of livelihood for high mountain communities in Pakistan, leading to a notable increase in tourist influx over the past few years (Ali and Shedayi, 2023). This growth has created numerous income-generating opportunities for local communities, particularly in the hotel and transport sectors, offering substantial employment to the local population. However, tourism has significant adverse environmental impacts on destinations, especially fragile mountain areas (Ali, 2021). Irresponsible tourist behavior exacerbates these adverse effects (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2017; Lee et al., 2013). Therefore, understanding tourist behavior is crucial for effective destination management and policymaking. Developing and fostering environmentally responsible behavior among tourists is essential for sustainable tourism development. Sensitizing tourists about the features of destinations can significantly improve environmental conditions, potentially increasing revenue by up to 32.23% (Fenitra et al., 2022). Nurturing a sense of environmental responsibility among tourists is key to establishing a sustainable environment for tourist destinations. Encouraging environmentally friendly consumption practices and transportation options among tourists can mitigate tourism's negative impacts on the environment and biodiversity. The government of Gilgit-Baltistan has introduced a policy banning single-use plastic in key tourist destinations, facing immense environmental challenges due to tourism development. However, responsible tourist behavior is greatly influenced by internal psychological drivers (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2017; Lee et al., 2013). Socially responsible behavior has gained attention for its positive impact on tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior. This study examines how tourists' socially responsible awareness, comprising self-responsible awareness (SA) and public responsible awareness (PA), influences their environmentally responsible behavior in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.