Pro-environmental Behaviour of Tourists in Uzbekistan: Application of Protection Motivation Theory

Conclusion
The threats posed by environmental problems require a review of the human-nature relationship and an improvement in pro-environmental behavior (Gage and Thapa, 2012). In this regard, researching tourists' pro-environmental behaviors is critical because they are considered as one of the promoters of an active society. It is essential to evaluate the factors that influence tourists' pro-environmental behavior in order to improve tourism sustainability (Zhu et al., 2022). As a result, using the PMT theory, this study constructs mechanisms of pro-environmental behavior among tourists. This study, based on an empirical test, has expanded our understanding of tourists' pro-environmental behaviors by implementing the PMT theory. Overall, this study examined the significance of Perceived Severity and Self-Efficacy in revealing the driving mechanisms of pro-environmental behavior in tourists. The current study backs up the effects of severity, vulnerability, rewards, self-efficacy, response-efficacy, and cost on tourists' environmental behavior.
This study was based on a sample of Uzbek tourists. A causal model was developed based on the PMT to investigate what motivates visitors to act in an environmentally friendly manner. The PMT is a useful theoretical framework for determining what factors influence individual behavioral development (Bockarjova and Steg, 2014). To quantify environmental behavior, descriptive statistics were first examined, and the items' mean value was calculated. The findings revealed that respondents' average intention to save energy was greater than other pro-environmental activities, but the mean values of other variable items were also higher than the average.Overall, the findings revealed that tourists engage in pro-environmental behavior at a medium to higher level. These findings backed up the findings of Jahromi et al., (2017), who discovered that tourists had more environmentally friendly energy saving habits than other groups of people. This conclusion contradicts the findings of a study conducted by Bilynets and Cvelbar (2022), who discovered that tourists had a lower motivation to conserve energy at the location because they were not charged for it.
According to SPSS findings, the variables influencing visitors' pro-environmental behavior — perceived severity and self-efficacy have a positive and significant impact on current pro-environmental behavior activity. On this basis, it is possible to conclude that improving understanding of severity and self-efficacy in tourists will increase the likelihood of them engaging in more positive pro-environmental actions. Based on these findings, tourists are likely to behave more responsibly in the face of environmental challenges as a result of their increased sense of self-efficacy in carrying out adaptive environmental actions, i.e., the fact that self-efficacy and pro-environmental behavior have a positive relationship suggests that tourists who are confident in their ability to engage in pro-environmental behavior are more likely to do so. The study's findings provide valuable insights into the factors that influence pro-environmental behavior among Uzbek tourists. Similarly, the positive relationship between perceived severity and pro-environmental behavior implies that tourists who perceive Uzbekistan's environmental problems as severe are more likely to take action to address them. These findings supported the findings of Bubeck et al. (2018)'s research. Liu&Bai (2016), Cai&Lu also found that abovementioned factors significantly influenced tourists’ pro-environmental behaviour.
The results of the second regression model with control variables including Age, Gender, Educational degree, Employment status, Residency, Marital status, Membership in environmental organizations showed that only two control variables – Gender (=female) and Residency (=urban) have positive and significant relationship with the pro-environmental behaviour. The positive relationship between gender (female) and pro-environmental behavior means women are more likely than men to engage in pro-environmental behavior. The positive relationship between urban residency and pro-environmental behavior may be due to greater exposure to environmental issues and greater access to environmental resources in urban areas.
This study focused specifically on the aspect of pro-environmental behaviour with application of Protection Motivation Theory which is a vital and phenomenon in the in such study category. With attention to the significant impact of self-efficacy to help solve environmental problems on pro-environmental behaviours, considering the degree of perceived severity to improve individuals’ sense of self-efficacy can help increase the likelihood of environmental behaviours in society, along with paying attention to the gender and residency of the respondents. It shows that self-efficacy, perceived severity, gender (female), and urban residency are important predictors of pro-environmental behavior among tourists in Uzbekistan. These findings imply that interventions aimed at increasing tourists' self-efficacy and severity perceptions may be effective in encouraging pro-environmental behavior. Furthermore, interventions aimed at women and tourists in cities may be more effective than those aimed at men and tourists in rural areas. This research has provided a fresh look towards pro-environmental behaviour of tourists, which is a phenomenon that has drawn the attention of many environment organisations, protectors and etc.
The purpose of this study was to develop and test the application of a Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) in order to identify and analyze tourist pro-environmental behavior. The study was successful in confirming the use of the PMT by measuring its dimension impacting Tourist Pro-Environmental Behaviour. This research identified potential gaps in pro-environmental behavior for the purposes of influencing PMT dimensions in tourists in developing countries, which will aid in charting future developments and studies in the media literacy education space. As a result, we aim to improve our pro-environmental behavior in these areas.
The current study has several implications:
Policy implications: The study's findings can help Uzbekistan make decisions about tourism and environmental protection. Policymakers can design targeted interventions to promote sustainable tourism practices by identifying the factors that influence tourists' pro-environmental behavior.
Tourist education: The research can help to develop educational materials for tourists, such as brochures or videos, that raise awareness about environmental threats and provide information on how to engage in environmentally friendly behavior.
Destination branding: The findings can help guide efforts to promote Uzbekistan as a sustainable tourism destination. The study's findings can be used to demonstrate the country's commitment to environmental protection and sustainability.
Business implications: The study may have implications for Uzbekistan's tourism industry. Businesses can meet the expectations of environmentally conscious tourists by understanding their attitudes and behaviors regarding environmental protection.
Future research: The findings of this study may help to shape future research on pro-environmental behavior in the context of tourism. The study's findings can help researchers identify new research avenues and inform future research questions. Overall, the research on pro-environmental behavior of tourists in Uzbekistan using PMT has practical implications for policymakers, businesses, and tourists, and it can help to develop sustainable tourism practices in Uzbekistan.
There are several limitations of this research. The study may have used a relatively small sample size, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to the larger population of Uzbek tourists. The research only looked at a small number of variables, such as self-efficacy, perceived severity, gender, and residency. Cultural values, environmental education, and personal beliefs may also be important predictors of pro-environmental behavior. The study only focused on tourists in Uzbekistan, which may limit the findings' generalizability to other countries or regions with different cultural and environmental contexts. It is critical to recognize and account for these limitations when interpreting the study's findings. Future research could address these limitations by employing larger sample sizes, longitudinal designs, and a broader set of variables. In addition, future research could look into using different statistical models to validate the findings. Further research recommendations will be given in the following paragraph.
This is the first study to apply the Protection Motivation Theory framework to the domain of tourist pro-environmental behavior in Uzbekistan. The Protection Motivation Theory appeared to be a useful framework for predicting pro-environmental behavior in tourists. Future research should be more specific in determining whether Protection Motivation Theory can be used to predict other types of pro-environmental actions related to risks such as recycling or eco-driving.
Another important future research direction is to investigate the relative merits and effectiveness of various theoretical frameworks used in modeling pro-environmental behavior (for example, comparing Protection Motivation Theory to the widely used Norm Activation Model or Theory of Planned Behaviour). As well as this, researchers might investigate the role of other aspects on promoting pro-environmental behaviour on tourists, for example, culture, social norms, and/or previous visits in their future study as some factors may be crucial in determining the motivations of tourists to behave pro-environmentally.
Lastly, future research may consider how the PMT might be applied in other countries and regions with different cultural and environmental contexts. This can aid in identifying universal factors that influence pro-environmental behavior and provide insights into how to promote more broadly sustainable tourism.