Factors Influencing Tourists’ Intention and Behavior toward Tourism Waste Classification: A Case Study of the West Lake Scenic Spot in Hangzhou, China

Abstract

The increasing amount of tourism waste has been a headache for most tourist destinations in China. Guiding tourists to classify waste has become a key concern for tourism waste management. In this study, the TPB-AR-DH model was constructed for the first time to reveal the formation process of tourists’ participation in tourism waste classification. The data came from a questionnaire survey sample of 382 tourists to the West Lake Scenic Spot in Hangzhou. The results from the structural equation model and multiple group analysis showed that (1) attitude towards the tourism waste classification, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and ascription of responsibility positively affected tourists’ waste classification intention. Especially, the ascription of responsibility was the most influential factor; (2) perceived behavioral control had the largest effects on actual behavior, and waste classification intention played a partly mediating role between perceived behavioral control and actual behavior; (3) tourists’ daily habit of waste classification played a significant moderating role between tourists’ waste classification intention and actual behavior. On the whole, this study offered a theoretical explanation model to popularize the initiative of tourism waste classification and perfect waste management policies in tourist destinations.