WP3

Objectives

With this work package we aim to examine factors and strategies that are influencing pro-environmental tourist behaviour. For this we have formulated 2 objectives:

1. Understand which factors affect pro-environmental tourism behaviour during the visit
2. Understand which strategies are most effective to promote pro-environmental tourist behaviour

Methodology

WP3.1 Understanding pro-environmental behaviour of tourists

We will conduct a questionnaire study to understand which factors affect the likelihood that tourists choose proenvironmentally options during their visit to Antarctica (e.g., no helicopter flights). Extending WP2, we now focus on individual factors (e.g., values, identities, beliefs, norms), and consider differences across cultures (e.g., Europe, China).

WP 3.2 Impact of guides and tour operators on tourism behaviour

We will first conduct in-depth interviews among a small group of tourists to understand how tour operators and guides affect their environmental awareness and actions. Based on this, we develop a questionnaire that will be sent to tourists that have visited Antarctica, in which they are asked to indicate the behaviour and communication of tour operators and guides related to environmental issues, and to report their environmental awareness and behaviour after the visit, and how this has changed relative to before their travel. We will next identify which communication and actions of guides and tour operators are most strongly related to (changes) in pro-environmental behaviour of tourists.

WP 3.3 Identify effective strategies to promote pro-environmental behaviour during the visit

We will conduct experimental studies to test the effects of different interventions on pro-environmental actions during the visit that target the main antecedents of pro-environmental actions identified in WP3.1 and WP3.2. Among others, we will test how different types of communication and behaviours of guides (selected based on the outcomes of the questionnaire study in WP3.2) affect pro-environmental choices of participants, which enables us to establish whether communications and actions of guides cause changes in behaviour of tourists. Participants will imagine travelling to Antarctica. Next, half of the sample will be exposed to the interventions, the other half will serve as a control group. Subsequently, we will ask them to make choices for different trip options varying in environmental impact.