The effect of perception of carbon labels on green hotel choice

Abstract

As climate change has resulted in serious environmental problems, concerns about climate change have increased considerably in the tourism sector. Carbon labels have been introduced as a mitigation mechanism for climate change to enhance consumers` sustainable consumption. This study explored how the perception of carbon labels affected consumer choice toward green hotels by applying an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), which included the perceived importance and credibility of carbon labels. Using structural equation modeling, survey results from hotel customers in South Korea found that perception of carbon labels exerted a favorable influence on the intention to visit green hotels. The more consumers perceived that carbon labeling was important and credible, the more their intention to visit green hotels increased. This study revealed that consumers` positive perception of carbon labels contributed to their favorable evaluation of the eco-friendly decision-making process.