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

1.5 Significance of the study
The significance of this research on pro-environmental behavior of tourists in Uzbekistan, specifically using the protection motivation theory, lies in its potential to contribute to the development of sustainable tourism practices. As the negative impact of tourism on the environment becomes more apparent, sustainable tourism is becoming more important. The protection motivation theory is a widely accepted theoretical framework for understanding and predicting individual behavior change in response to perceived risks. The study can help to identify the factors that motivate tourists to engage in sustainable behaviors by applying this theory to the context of pro-environmental behavior of tourists in Uzbekistan.
The significance of current study is mainly targeted towards pro-environmental behaviour of tourists. From management point of view, the results and findings from this study will help local residents as well as tourists to understand the notion of environmental concerns towards nature and environment of Uzbekistan. With understanding of pro-environmental behaviour of tourists, together with locals, issues related to environment of Uzbekistan will be risen which will create opportunities for them to move forward towards protecting the environment and changing behaviour of people for forthcoming future development and environment protection. This research could have a practical impact on the development of policies and practices to promote sustainable tourism in Uzbekistan. It could help shape the development of educational and awareness-raising programs to encourage tourists to adopt environmentally friendly behaviors. The findings of the study could also be used to create marketing strategies that promote environmentally friendly tourism products and services. This research could have a practical impact on the development of policies and practices to promote sustainable tourism in Uzbekistan. It could help shape the development of educational and awareness-raising programs to encourage tourists to adopt environmentally friendly behaviors. The findings of the study could also be used to create marketing strategies that promote environmentally friendly tourism products and services. Furthermore, the findings may be applicable beyond Uzbekistan, as protection motivation theory has been used in a variety of contexts to understand and predict individual behaviour change in response to perceived risks. As a result, the research could contribute to the larger field of sustainable tourism and aid in the development of more effective strategies for promoting sustainable behavior among tourists worldwide.
From the theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in several ways.
Applying PMT in the travel context is a significant endeavour in predicting tourists’ behaviour change for environmental concerns. This study may be important as a new reference in the literature connected to pro-environmental behaviour and presents additional evidence of the usefulness of PMT in predicting pro-environmental behaviour by verifying the previous research framework on a sample of tourists as social group in Uzbekistan. The research will contribute to improving the use of PMT in the tourism industry, which is a relatively unexplored area. The findings will contribute to a better understanding of PMT's practicality in predicting and explaining pro-environmental behavior among tourists.
The study will raise environmental awareness and promote environmental education among tourists and tourism industry stakeholders. It can help to encourage tourists to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviors while traveling by emphasizing the importance of sustainable tourism practices. Sustainable tourism practices can provide economic benefits to Uzbekistan, such as increased revenue from eco-tourism and improved environmental quality, making Uzbekistan a more appealing tourist destination. The results of the research can help to promote sustainable tourism practices and increase Uzbekistan's economic benefits.