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

Key words: Pro-environmental behaviour, Protection Motivation theory, Environmental Attitude, Costs, Rewards.

Contents

Abstract 1
Chapter 1: Introduction 4
Research Background 4
1.3 Purpose of the study 12
1.6 Structure of the Study 18
Chapter 2: Literature Review 19
2.0 Introduction 19
2.1 Pro-environmental Behaviour 19
2.2 Protection Motivation Theory 23
2.2.1 Understanding the PMT to explain pro-environmental behavior 26
2.2 Factors of PMT 28
2.2.1 Threat Appraisal dimensions 28
2.2.2 Perceived Severity 28
2.2.3 Perceived Vulnerability 29
2.2.4 Rewards 29
2.2.5 Coping Appraisal 30
2.2.6 Self-Efficacy 30
2.2.8 Costs 31
Chapter 3: Research Methodology 33
3.0 Introduction 33
3.1 Research setting 33
References 51
Appendix A 58

Chapter 1: Introduction

The current chapter aims to present an overview of current study. It starts with a research background on pro-environmental behaviour of tourists in Uzbekistan, discussion of application of protection motivation theory, design of research questions, formulation of aim and objectives, and significance of the research to bring out the benefits of the findings from this research.

Research Background

The tourism industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the world, with significant environmental impacts on the destinations visited. The effects of tourism on the environment are arguably the most significant yet hardest to measure. These range from localized habituation and/or wildlife aggression against visitors to the impacts of worldwide systems, such as climate change. The spread of disease and invasive species; species loss; wildlife disturbance and/or conflict; substantial increases in resource use (water, energy, food, building materials); changes in the layout of land and its use; problems with waste disposal and pollution; physical impacts of erosion, site hardening, and/or trampling; issues with waste disposal and pollution, etc (Coghlan, 2019). As a result, there is an increasing desire to encourage eco-friendly tourism strategies in order to reduce negative environmental effects and contribute to the preservation of natural resources.
The study of the impact of humans on the environment, also known as environmental science, has become increasingly important in recent years. Researchers in this field examine the ways in which human activities affect natural ecosystems, as well as the impact of these changes on human health and well-being. They also study ways to mitigate or reverse the negative effects of human activities on the environment, through sustainable practices, conservation efforts, and policy changes. The research on the impact of humans on the environment highlights the urgent need for action to address the negative consequences of human activities on the planet. It also provides valuable insights into how people can work towards a more sustainable future, one in which human needs are met without compromising the health and well-being of our planet and its ecosystems.
Numerous environmental difficulties are founded in individuals activities, thus policymakers as well as researchers believe that promoting pro-environmental behaviours will contribute to reducing these issues (Shafiei & Maleksaeidi, 2020). Questions concerning variables influencing the acceptability of environment-friendly activities have preoccupied academics in recent years, as public interest in understanding environmental behaviours has grown. Thereafter, research often investigates new areas of study to be done in order to explain environmental behaviours among various social groups, such as tourists. Thus, interest of current study aims to conduct research on field of tourism industry, particularly, in the context of tourist’s pro-environmental behaviour.
Stakeholders in the tourism sector, including tourists and host communities, are now considerably more aware of the importance of sustainable development in tourism than they were in the past (Cárdenas et al., 2015). Pro-environmental tourism development requires the involvement of tourists themselves (Li & Wu, 2020). If tourists are not involved, this can lead to problems in tourism development in the touristic places. First and foremost, such behaviour of tourists would lead to negative impact on local communities through environmental degradation. Tourists who do not have pro-environmental behaviours may engage in activities that harm the environment, such as littering, pollution, overfishing, and overexploitation of natural resources. These activities can degrade the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the tourist destination, making it less attractive to other visitors (Juvan & Dolnicar, 2017).
Human behaviour plays a significant role in explaining the current state of the natural environment (Laffoley & Baxter, 2016). For instance, global environmental threats such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation have all been, at least partly, attributed to unsustainable human behaviour (IPCC, 2018). While institutional and policy changes can help to reduce these environmental threats, they are incomplete without a simultaneous focus on understanding and encouraging individual-level behaviours that reduce one's unsustainable impact on the natural environment (Clayton, & Howard, 2011). Therefore, encouraging individuals to engage in a variety of pro-environmental behaviours, such as reducing their energy use, increasing use of public transport, and changing farming practices, is an important component in maximising positive environmental outcomes and reducing the severity of global environmental threats. As awareness of environmental issues’ seriousness increases, tourists have become more environmentally responsible and have sought to purchase eco-friendly hospitality and tourism products by preferring a destination that implements green practices (Shu et al., 2016). The term pro-environmental behaviour has been alternatively referred to as green, environmentally responsible, environmentally significant, eco-friendly, or environmentally friendly behaviours (Han, 2015). In addition to buying eco-travel packages, other types of pro-environmental behaviours for a destination's natural environment, such as staying in a green hotel (Verma and Chandra, 2018) and using public transport (Kim et al., 2019), were studied to investigate the antecedents of such environmentally responsible behaviours among tourists. Although leading to additional costs and efforts, such behaviours have attempted to reduce the impact of the tourists' footprint on a destination and its environmental issues (Ahmad et al., 2020). They have chosen certain eco-friendly facilities, products and services, and avoided others with an emphasis on their influence on the destination's natural environment.
Achieving a more sustainable, environmentally friendly future has long become an embraced goal of many societies worldwide where pro-environmental behavior is found at its core. Indeed, it is widely believed that changes in behavior are needed to promote a more sustainable future. However, engaging in and sustaining such behavior often comes at a price as it often costs more: e.g., organic products are more expensive than conventional products, which requires more effort like waste separation or even new skills like eco-driving. Important questions to be answered in this respect are: which factors determine whether people are willing to overcome such barriers to pro-environmental actions, and which factors promote pro-environmental collective actions?
Before analysing pro-environmental-behaviour of tourists in destinations, it is important to determine theory that is the most suitable when comes it to explaining it. In this, Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) is deemed to be appropriate in this study because of its advantages over other theories employed in research in the current topic. The theory explains the process through which fear appeal messages induce changes in behaviour (Shafiei, A., & Maleksaeidi, 2020). PMT is particularly useful for studying pro-environmental behaviours because these behaviours often involve threats to individuals' health and well-being. By studying the factors that influence these perceptions, beliefs, and behaviours, researchers can better understand how to promote pro-environmental behaviours and reduce environmental threats.
PMT which was initially developed by Rogers R. W., (1975) is useful for predicting an individual’s pro-environmental behaviours. This is because PMT is a theory that has been applied to explain the process through which fear appeal messages induce changes in behaviour, and it provides a framework for understanding how individuals perceive environmental threats and their ability to respond to respond to those threats. Thus, one’s willingness to engage in pro-environmental behaviours can be better understood through the use of PMT (Kim, Jeong, & Hwang, 2013). The PMT, which is one of other broadly-used theories, offers a broader range of predictors for human behaviour than the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Norm Activation Model, and the Value-Belief-Norm Theory, and it can expand an understanding of the causes of pro-environmental actions (Keshavarz and Karami, 2016). According to Bockarjova and Steg (2014), behavioural change theories, particularly PMT, have been applied mainly to public health to promote adaptive behaviours such as healthy diet, smoking cessation, and exercise. Although the PMT was developed to study health-related risk behaviors (Dang et al., 2012), it is now frequently utilized in other disciplines, such as characterizing pro-environmental activities. PMT is primarily applied to explain people’s decisions to partake in health risk mitigation behaviors (Wu, Y. et al., 2005) and disaster prevention (Grothmann, T.; Patt, A., 2005). A number of researchers have also applied PMT to explain pro-environmental behaviors. Kim et al. (2013), for instance, found that individuals’ intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors was significantly influenced by many PMT attributes, including the perceived severity of the consequences associated with climate change, perceived response efficacy, and self-efficacy.
Uzbekistan has several destinations that are popular among tourists offering unique, antique, historical and authentic sites. In terms of tourism and historical sites, Uzbekistan is in the top ten nations in the world. Financial Times, a globally recognized newspaper from Great Britain with more than 2.2 million daily readers and publications in 24 locations has revealed the list of the most interesting locations for those looking to travel the world: the list of the nine nations listed in the list of the world's most attractive tourist destinations one of which is Uzbekistan (The People's Word, December 29, 2016). However, this country can be considered as a concrete example for the consequences of negative impact of the human actions (mostly the actions of host people). By utilizing the resources incorrectly and without responsibility people could even led a huge sea to shrink almost completely which resulted in deleterious effect later on the humans’ health and overall aspects in society. Tourists may be affected by the negative effects of the water, air and soil during their visit in the way host communities are. They may not only be affected by the toxic elements in the air which are going out from the sea or soil, but also they may contribute to the growth of environmental issues with their unfriendly behaviours and led to other environmental problems such as pollution, overcrowding, lack of natural resources, etc. Therefore, there is a huge need to examine the pro-environmental behaviour in tourists in order to both prevent potential harm for the environment as well as to participate in solving the environmental issues while travelling, and in turn, to protect themselves from being affected by the environmental harms.