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Generation Z as a critical question mark for
sustainable tourism –An exploratory study
in Portugal
Micaela Pinho and Sofia Gomes
Abstract
Purpose –Much has been speculated about the role that Generation Z will play in achieving more sustainable
development. The tourism sector gains a special role in this discussion. On the one hand, tourism, due to its
growing importance, has had a significant impact on environmental sustainability. On the other hand,
Generation Z will be the largest group of travellers ever in the future. In this context, the objective of the present
study is to explore the interest of young Portuguese generation Z in sustainable development goals (SDGs),
tourism sustainability (TS) and their pro-environmental habits and how these categories influence the choice of
sustainable tourism destination.
Design/methodology/approach –An online questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 305
young Portuguese. The quantitative analysis was performed with the application of the partial least square
(PLS) model.
Findings –Overall, the authors found that despite our respondents showing an interest in the SDGs the same
interest is not true for tourism. Although most respondents are concerned about choosing a sustainable
destination, they do not care about keeping destinations sustainable, nor do they have pro-environmental
habits.
Originality/value –This study presents the first evidence of the attitudes, beliefs and pro-environmental habits
of Portuguese Gen Zers and their potential contribution to TS.
Keywords Generation Z, Sustainable development, Tourism sustainability, Pro-environmental behaviours
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Sustainable development has become a pressing issue nowadays and the main challenge for
policymakers. Currently, it is no longer possible to ignore the harmful consequences that large-
scale economic growth has had on finite Earth. This on-going dilapidation and depleting of natural
capital have, and will continue, to compromise human well-being. Today, more than ever, the
harmful relationship that intense economic activity has on a finite Earth is evident. Every day reports
show environmental changes, on a global scale, from global warming to species extinction. The
core question at the heart of sustainable development is how to allocate the finite resources of the
planet to meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs (WCED, 1987). Sustainable development goes beyond economic concerns
encompassing social and human dimensions. All these concerns were reflected in the United
Nations (UN) resolution entitled “Transforming our world: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development”comprising 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) (UN, 2015). This agenda is
ambitious as it seeks to eradicate poverty and hunger at the same time as it seeks to achieve
gender equality, reduce inequalities, health, sustainable production and consumption, climate
actions, and even achieve peace, justice, and effective institutions. Notwithstanding the
Micaela Pinho is based at the
Portucalense University,
Research on Economics,
Management and
Information Technologies,
REMIT, Porto, Portugal and
Aveiro University, Research
Unit in Governance,
Competitiveness and Public
Policy, GOVCOPP, Aveiro,
Portugal.
Sofia Gomes is based at the
Portucalense University,
Research on Economics,
Management and
Information Technologies,
REMIT, Porto, Portugal.
Received 1 July 2022
Revised 17 September 2022
3 December 2022
Accepted 16 February 2023
© Micaela Pinho and Sofia
Gomes. Published in Journal of
Tourism Futures. Published by
Emerald Publishing Limited. This
article is published under the
Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may
reproduce, distribute, translate
and create derivative works of
this article (for both commercial
and non-commercial purposes),
subject to full attribution to the
original publication and authors.
The full terms of this licence may
be seen at http://
creativecommons.org/licences/
by/4.0/legalcode
DOI 10.1108/JTF-07-2022-0171 VOL. ▪▪▪ NO. ▪▪▪ , pp. 1-18, Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2055-5911
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commitment of the UN and all theoretical advances that have been achieved, in this matter, by
economists (Nodhaus and Tobin, 1972;Ostrom, 1990;Arrow et al., 2012;Polasky et al., 2015;
Managi and Kumar, 2018), natural scientists (Costelo et al., 2016,Tallis et al., 2018) and other
social sciences, the path to achieving sustainable development requires a mind-set change.
People’s awareness of environmental issues has to change and with that human behaviour and
actions in their relationship with the environment.
Unlike previous generations (who successively postponed this concern because they were
focused on economic growth), today’s young people, born after 1994, christened Generation Z
(Gen Z) seem more aware and concerned about the depletion of natural resources, often claiming
that there is no planet B. Gen Zer’s attitudes, believes and behaviours have been shaped by issues
such as globalization, terrorism, the 2008 financial crises, technology and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Understanding this generation is paramount since, in 2020, it has become dominant in the world,
representing 32% of the world’s population, greatly surpassing the Millennium or Baby Boomer
generation (WEF, 2018). Furthermore, by 2030, this generation will be the central workforce in
society and will play a major role in creating a sustainable future and achieving SDGs. Thus, Gen Z is
an indispensable and strategic component of building a sustainable future (Yamane and Kaneko,
2021). Moreover, Gen. Z enters the group of youth travel that has become one of the fastest-
growing segments of international tourism, representing more than 23% of the over one billion
tourists travelling internationally each year, generating more than V250 billion (WTO, 2016). The
generational shift represents a major force that will shape the future of tourism (Corbisiero and
Ruspini, 2018). As recognized by the UN, these young people are a major force for development
and social change and as such have the potential to drive sustainable development in the tourism
sector (WTO, 2016).
The debate around the potential generational contribution to tourism sustainability (TS) is of the
utmost importance for two main reasons. First, tourism is a sector with social, economic and
environmental impacts on a global scale (Hall and Lew, 2009). Tourism, due to its exponentialgrowth
in recent years, contributed to the tragedy of the commons, seriously compromising sustainable
development. Indeed, the tourism sector has nowadays a chronic problem of balance between the
environment and the economy. Second, tourism has the potential to contribute, directly or indirectly,
to all of the 17 SDGs. TS is firmly positioned in the 2030 Agenda –it has been included a target in the
eighth goal (inclusive and sustainable economic growth), twelfth goal (sustainable consumption and
production) and fourteenth goal (sustainable use of oceans and marine resources).
Although the hope placed on generation Z to change the designs of sustainability seems
consensual, the truth is that so far few studies have investigated the effective compromise of
members of Gen Z with pro-environmental habits, their involvement in achieving the UN SDGs, in
general, and TS, in particular (Haddouche and Salomone, 2018;Globetrender, 2021;Hansen and
Wyman, 2021;Parzonko et al., 2021;G€
orpe and
€
Oks€
uz, 2022). However the results of these
studies are contradictory. Moreover, it is not known whether their involvement with sustainable
causes influences the choice of a tourist destination. Thus, the study here reported seeks to fill the
existing literature gaps. The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the support of the TS through
generational lenses. We explore the attitudes and beliefs of young Portuguese about the SDGs,
sustainable tourism and their daily pro-environmental habits, and whether these beliefs and
behaviours impact their choice of a sustainable tourist destination.
This article presents the first evidence on whether the Portuguese Gen Z will contribute to the much-
needed behavioural change in tourism (and not only) that will lead to greater sustainability in the sector.
Theoretical background
Generation Z their characteristic and sustainable values
Generation Z youth deserve particular attention as they were born and raised in a very different
world from previous generations. They are the first generation of the twenty-first century and a big
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challenge for researchers and trend forecasters. In recent years, increasing literature emerged
concerning the distinctive features of this generation (see ETC, 2020;Çalıs
¸kan, 2021, for a review).
According to the generational theory, Generation Z, also called Baby Bloomers or iGeneration,
includes individuals born after 1994 (Williams et al., 2010;Dabija et al. 2020). The current youth of
this generation developed personalities and life skills in a socioeconomic environment marked by
chaos, uncertainty, volatility and complexity (Sparks and Honey, 2014). They have been shaped by
turbulent times. It is a generation deeply marked by the world events they have experienced. These
young people experienced in a few years several economic, human, social and health events,
namely, terrorism, the 2008 financial crisis, the migration crisis, climate changes, the Covid-19
pandemic crises and currently a war. Never has another generation witnessed so many events and
changes as this one. Generation Z has never known a world without serious problems. As a
consequence of these exposures, there’s evidence denoting that this generation feels profoundly
anxious and distrustful (Hertz, 2016) as well as pessimistic about the future (Corbisiero and
Ruspini, 2018). They have come of age in an era of economic decline, increased inequality, job
insecurity and social media presence (Robinson and Sch€
anzel, 2019) and as such, they crave
safety and financial security (Read and Truelove, 2018). Moreover, these young adults belong to
the first generation born in the digital world that lives and socializes online (Reinikainen et al., 2020).
Hence their consumer behaviours and basic social values are to a great extent shaped by the
Internet (Goh and Lee, 2018). They have specific needs for communication and consumption and,
thanks to ubiquitous connectivity, have more in common with their international peers than any
previous generation (Corbisiero and Ruspini, 2018). Indeed, Gen Z is the first truly global generation
in the sense that they are connected across borders via social media and digital devices.
About four years ago, attention turned to this generation that began to be seen as the generation of
hope that would contributeto a more sustainable world. This was triggered by a Swedish teenager –
Greta Thunberg, who tirelessly protested in favour of the environment, blaming current political
leaders for negligence against her generation. This unprecedented activism coming from a teenager
suggests that Gen Z have global values and is increasingly conscientious about their actions. It is
believed that this age group presents different patterns of behaviours, starting with being more pro-
environmental. The concept of pro-environmental behaviour is defined in various ways (Kollmuss and
Agyeman, 2002;Baum and Gross, 2017). In this paper,pro-environmentalbehaviour was defined as
a behaviour by which individuals consciously seek to minimize the negative impact of their actions on
the natural environment, through engaging in positive environmentally friendly actions, such as
recycling (Byrne and O’Regan, 2014), minimizing water and energy consumption (Berardi, 2017)as
well as avoiding actions that harm the environment such as avoid the use of plastic and meat
consumption, preference for using public transport (Eriksson et al., 2008) and for environmentally
friendly brands (Ramayah et al., 2010).
There’s increasing literature showing that Gen Z members are the most interested in incorporating
sustainability into their activities (Dabija et al., 2020;Laz
anyi and Bilan, 2017). Unlike their
grandparents belonging to the baby boomers generation, their parents (Generation X), or their
older siblings –Millennials, Generation Z members express a very keen interest in sustainable
development and social responsibility (Hansen and Wyman, 2021) and tend to get involved in
environmental protection actions (Dabija et al., 2018). They are aware that their decisions may
affect other people and the environment or jeopardize future generations’access to resources
similar to those available to current generations (Dabija and Babut, 2013). A survey across 20
countries (across the Middle East and North Africa, Europe, the Americas, Asia and Sub-Saharan
Africa) revealed that the Gen Zers are not only aware of the environmental issues the world is faced
with but also, consider the issues of poverty, inequality, unemployment and economy equally
important and they view them like the ones that will grow increasingly relevant over their lifetimes
(SKG, 2020).
Despite this growing literature and this widespread idea that generation Z will make a difference in
environmental terms, it is still debatable whether these young adults are committed to
pro-environmental behaviours. Some researchers even prove that age does not influence
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pro-environmental behaviour (Gray et al., 2019;Sargisson et al., 2020). Some research found that
environmental concerns and engagement in environmental behaviours were greater in older than
younger generations (Grønhøj and Thøgersen, 2009;Wray-Lake et al., 2010;Parzonko et al.,
2021). The analysis also revealed that Gen Zers declared mainly engaging in pro-environmental
behaviours that are limited to their household and that did not require physical or cognitive
involvement (Parzonko et al., 2021).
Generation Z and tourism sustainability
Tourism is today one of the world’s largest industries and one of its fastest-growing economic
sectors. To figure out the economic importance and impact of tourism it is worth mentioning that
before the advent of Covid-19 the number of tourist trips undertaken, each year, exceeded the
world’s population (Hall, 2015). In 2019, international tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 4%, a
significant amount although lower than the 18% growth seen in the previous year (UNWTO, 2020).
We would expect that after two years of severe restrictions on movements and accumulated
savings, tourism will experience unprecedented growth in 2022 and beyond, although this figure
may be revisited following the impact of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the rising inflation that
dominates world economies. Due to the economic significance of tourism and its growth, there has
been increasing literature highlighting several impacts of tourism at various scales (Hall, 2015;
Rutty et al., 2015;Scott et al., 2016;Rasoolimanesh and Jaafar, 2017;Gossling et al., 2018;
Esfandiar et al. 2020) and drawing attention to its sustainability and the limits to its growth
(Saarinen, 2015;Fodness, 2017;Hall, 2019).
For many countries, tourism is seen as a main diver of development. Tourism may have a positive
economic impact on gross domestic product, employment and the trade balance but it may also
have negative effects, particularly on the environment. Unplanned and uncontrolled tourism growth
may result in external negative diseconomies –through negative and irreversible effects on the
environment and societies, which can ultimately compromise the tourism sector. Therefore, since
the environment is the major source of tourist products, it should be protected to perpetuate
tourism growth and thus economic development in the future. For this, all tourism stakeholders
have registered a growing concern for sustainability as a guiding principle to allow the integration of
economic development with environmental and social aspects within tourism policy and strategy.
In this regard, Portugal has taken significant steps. On the one hand, with the approval of the
Tourism Strategy 2027, a commitment was made to make Tourism a hub for economic, social and
environmental development throughout the territory, positioning the country as one of the most
competitive and sustainable tourist destinations in the world (Turismo de Portugal, 2022). On the
other hand, the Tourism þSustainable Plan 2020–2023 and the adhesion of Portugal’s National
Tourism Authority (Turismo de Portugal, 2022) to the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC),
to the Portuguese Pact for Plastics, to the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism and
the Cancun Declaration of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) on the Equality and
Leadership of Women in Tourism, constitute strong commitments aimed at strengthening the role
of Tourism in Portugal, in building a better world for all (Turismo de Portugal, 2022).
The concept of TS dates back to the 90s. At the time, it was already understood as a tourism
activity that respects and preserves natural, cultural and social resources in the long term and
contributes positively and equitably to the economic development and to the development of the
individuals, who live, work or reside in these areas (Council of Europe, 1997). The main idea of TS is
to enhance the equality of and balance the present and future within the context of meeting the
needs of today’s visitor-host society (UNWTO, 1998). Since then, numerous highlights of
characterizing TS have emerged in the literature (see Çalıs
¸kan, 2021, for a review).
Linking TS and Gen Z are of utmost importance as these young adults will be the biggest driving
force of tourism for years to come. Indeed, they will be the decision-makers in travelling in the
future, and thus who should take responsibility for sustainability. Given the enormous responsibility
that societies seem to have placed on these young adults, we wonder if they will be up to the
PAGE 4
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challenge. The few findings concerning the effective contribution of Gen Z to sustainable tourism
are contradictory. On the one hand, surveys across the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of
America (USA), Germany, China, United Arab Emirates and Australia found that 69% of Gen Z
travellers felt strongly about responsible travel, i.e., they want to be more environmentally and
socially conscious in their travel (Globetrender, 2021). An Italian survey found that the digital nature
of Gen Z is eroding the mass tourism model since more informed members are more capable of
recognizing the lack of authenticity of a tourism destination (Monaco, 2018). On the other hand,
studies carried out in France, Turkey and the United Arabe Emirates found that TS was not a key
concept for Gen Z members (Haddouche and Salomone, 2018) and their behaviour was not
aligned with TS (G€
orpe and
€
Oks€
uz, 2022).
Based on the above literature we may conclude that this research topic on whether Gen Z engages
in sustainable tourism development remains something of a puzzle for academics. Therefore,
without a clear understanding of Gen Z sustainability attitudes, it is impossible to develop effective
behavioural interventions aimed at triggering more environmentally sustainable behaviour among
young tourists. Thus, we hypothesize that Portuguese Gen Z attitudes regarding sustainable
goals, in general, pro-environmental behaviours, and concerns with sustainable tourism, in
particular, can be important drivers in choosing a sustainable tourism destination. This paper aims
to answer the following research questions, translated in the structural model presented in
Figure 1:
RQ1. Are Portuguese young people concerned about sustainable development and will this
influence the choice of a sustainable destination?
RQ2. Do young Portuguese people have pro-environmental behaviours and will this influence
the choice of a sustainable destination?
RQ3. Are Portuguese young people concerned with TS and will this influence the choice of a
sustainable destination?
Methods
Data collection
Data were collected through an online questionnaire that was made available between February
2020 and July 2021 on social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus) and spread
through the personal contacts of the authors. The inclusion criteria were individuals living in
Portugal and born after 1994. Participation was voluntary and explicit informed consent was given.
Figure 1 Structural model to explain intentions to choose a sustainable destination
RQ1
RQ2
Sustainable tourism
concerns (STC)
Sustainable development
concerns (SDC)
Intention to visit a
Sustainable Tourist
Destination
RQ3
Pro-environmental daily
behaviors (PEDB)
Source(s): Authors
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All potential participants were informed about the purpose of the research and anonymity was
granted. The questionnaire was tested through a previous sample of ten participants of different
ages to verify and analyse the overall degree of issue understanding and answer variability. The test
of validity and reliability returned high internal reliability (Cronbach’s alpha 50.815).
Data measurement
The questionnaire contains four sections each composed of questions that measured the variables
used in the present study.
Section 1. Collected respondents’demographic, economic mental health information and their
intentions to visit a sustainable tourism destination. Demographic characteristics comprise age
and gender. Respondent’s opinion about the evolution of the economic situation (whether it will
improve, stay the same or worsen) and how they view their future (whether with optimism, fear or
pessimism) comprises the economic information. Finally, the dependent variable was measured by
asking participants to indicate the level of importance on a 5-point Likert scale (1 –“nothing
important”to 5 –“very important”) attached to the following factor when choosing a visit
destination: “Sustainable destination, e.g., environmentally friendly”.
Section 2. Collected information about respondents’attitudes concerning SDG. They were asked
about the importance attached to ten goals, used elsewhere (ETC, 2020): climate change and
environmental protection, animal protection, justice, gender, racial and LGBT (lesbian, gay,
bisexual, and transgender) equality, poverty and inequality, anti-corruption, and physical and
mental health. Respondents answered on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 –“Nothing
important”to 5 –“Very important”.
Section 3. Collected information concerning respondents’daily pro-environmental habits.
Respondents were asked how often they adhered to seven pro-environmental habits,
developed and used elsewhere (ETC, 2020), such as recycling, use of public transport instead
of personal transportation, choice of environmentally friendly brands, water, energy-saving and
avoiding plastics and meat consumption. Participants answered on a 5-point Likert scale ranging
from 1 –“Never”to 5 –“Always”.
Section 4. Collected information regarding participants’concerns with sustainable tourism. Participants
should reveal their level of agreement on a 5-point Likert scale (1 –“totally disagree”to 5 –“totally agree”)
with three statements, used elsewhere (ETC, 2020), comprising concerns with locals’well-being,
avoiding crowding destinations and reducing and minimizing the environmental impact of air travel.
Details of the questions can be found in the first column of Table A1, in appendix.
Data analysis
The descriptive statistics of the variables used in this study were performed through SPSS (25.0).
The association between respondents’attitudes concerning SDGs, their daily pro-environmental
habits and TS concerns, and the intention to select a TS destination was prosecuted using the
partial least squares (PLS) methodology in the Smart PLS 3.0 software (Ringle et al., 2019).
The PLS method was also used to perform a confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA). The CFA was
performed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the questionnaire design. The PLS methodology
was chosen for two main reasons. First, due to the non-adjustment to the normal distribution of
most of the items that constitute this instrument (Hair et al., 2019). Second, the data were collected
through a questionnaire, with multiple indicators associated with the latent variables (Ringle et al.,
2019). This method allows the combination of a factor analysis with regressions. The reliability of
the instrument was evaluated through the composite reliability coefficients (CR) and its validity was
tested through three measures (Hair et al., 2019): (1) Cronbach’s Alpha measurements; (2)
convergent validity (average variance extracted –AVE > 0.5) and (3) discriminant validity tested by
the Fornell-Larcker criterion. The PLS approach is applied in two phases. The first phase validated
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the model through the PLS logarithm. The second phase tests the relationships between the
variables using multiple linear regressions estimated by the ordinary least method square (OLS).
Results
Descriptive analysis
A sample of 305 Portuguese young members of Gen Z was obtained. In total, 386 responses were
collected albeit only 305 (79%) were considered valid (questionnaires completely answered).
The majority of respondents were female (63%) and the predominant age ranged from 19 to
21 years old. Roughly half of the young respondents (43%) think the economic situation is going to
get worse compared to 20.3% that consider it will stay equal and 36.7% that think it will improve.
Most participants (52.1%) face the future with fear while 44.6% feel optimistic.
For most respondents (60.1%) a sustainable (environmentally friendly) destination is considered a
very relevant factor in choosing a travel destination. Besides, we realize that respondents attach
great importance to SDGs (mean ≥4.5). The results also show that pro-environmental habits do
not seem to be rooted among our respondents. Among the analysed habits, only recycling and
reducing water and energy are the behaviours adopted frequently. Regarding tourism concerns,
although respondents show concern for the well-being of locals when visiting a destination, they do
not seem willing to avoid a mass tourism destination, nor to support additional taxation of air travel.
A detailed description can be found in Table A1, in appendix.
Results from linear regression analysis (Table A2, in appendix) revealed that gender was statistically
significant in explaining all the variables while age was only statistically significant in explaining the
SDG in general. Indeed, women and older respondents revealed greater concerns with
sustainable development, in general. Furthermore, women were also more concerned than men
with TS, engage more often in pro-environmental behaviours, and are more willing to select a TS
destination.
The PLS model
Model validation. The CFA model, Figure A1 in appendix, shows that each item (question) of the
questionnaire has a factor loading >0.5 confirming its reliability.
Figure 2. Presents the PLS model resulting from the PLS logarithm. The latent variables are
represented in circles and were measured by indicators represented in squares (explaining at least
50% of the variance of the latent variable with which they are associated). The predictive prediction
is validated by the R
2
values shown in the latent variable circles.
Table 1 summarizes the values of the individual reliability of each variable as well as the AVE and its
square root, indicators of the convergent and discriminant validity, respectively The evaluation of
the PLS model reveals simultaneously high rates of reliability (CR > 0.5) and the existence of
convergent (as AVE > 0.5) and discriminant validity. Thus, the model is reliable and has factorial
convergent and discriminant validity. Following Hall (2019), the quality of the model fit was validated
through the Chi-Square (p50.078), goodness-of-fit (0.98), the comparative fit index (0.89), and
standard root mean square residual (0.097). The goodness-of-fit indices meet the reference value
indicating that the estimated PLS model has a good fit.
Explanatory analysis. Table 2 presents detailed results regarding the size and significance of
the path coefficients, the coefficient of determination (R
2
) of the endogenous latent variable, and the
predictive relevance (Stone-Geisser Q
2
) based on the cross-validated redundancy approach. The
model is relevant to predict the dependent variable sustainable (intention to visit a sustainable
tourist destination) since the predictive relevance is greater than zero (Q
2
50.349). The sample size
is adequate (absolute values of the path coefficients are greater than 0.20). There are significant
relationships between the latent variables, all of which are statistically significant for p 50.000.
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Together these variables explain 38.4% of the variance of the exogenous variable intention to visit a
sustainable tourist destination (R
2
50.384).
According to Figure 2 and Table 2, we may answer all our research questions. Pro-environmental
daily behaviours (β50.341) are the most important variable to explain the choice of a sustainable
Figure 2 The PLS model
Table 1 Reliability of the variables (CR); AVE and AVE Square Root (in italic)
Ca CR AVE (ISTD) (SDC) (PEB) (STC)
Intention to visit a Sustainable Tourist
Destination (ISTD)
1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
RQ1: Sustainable Development Concerns
(SDC)
0.870 0.883 0.547 0.375 0.740
RQ2:Pro-Environmental Daily Behaviours
(PEDB)
0.763 0.831 0.525 0.528 0.362 0.725
RQ3: Sustainable Tourism Concerns (STC) 0.800 0.760 0.505 0.451 0.164 0.400 0.711
Source(s): Authors
Table 2 Direct effects on dependent variable
Effects of endogenous variables
Path
(β)
tValue
(Bootstrap)
Confidence
Interval
Explained
variance Answer
Intention to visit a Sustainable Tourist Destination
Adj R
2
50.378/Q
2
50.349)
RQ1: Sustainable Development
Concerns (SDC)
0.206* 4.256 Sig (0.102;
0.286)
37.8% Yes
RQ2:Pro-Environmental Daily
Behaviours (PEDB)
0.341* 5.501 Sig (0.227;
0.468)
50.1% Yes
RQ3: Sustainable Tourism
Concerns (STC)
0.281* 5.191 Sig (0.185;
0.398)
42.7% Yes
Source(s): Authors
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tourist destination, followed by sustainable tourism concerns (β50.281) and sustainable
development concerns (β50.206). Thus, respondents with greater overall sustainable
development concerns, that have more rooted habits of environmental preservation, and that
are more concerned with sustainable tourism, in itself, are those with a greater intention of selecting
a sustainable or environmentally friendly destination.
Discussion
Gen Z is the main dynamic of the near future. To ensure a strong, inclusive and sustainable future for
tourism, the tourism industry should pay specific attention to the generational turnover and to the
peculiarities of the younger generations (Corbisiero et al., 2022). It seems more or less accepted that
Generation Z is the generation of disruption, entrusted with the responsibility of advancing the long-
recognized challenges of sustainable development. A wide body of research has emerged that
investigated Gen Zers’values and attitudes although only a few investigated their concerns and
potential contribution to sustainable tourism. In this study, we explored the influence of Portuguese
Gen Zers’attitudes concerning SDGs , in general, and sustainable tourism, in particular, as well as
their pro-environmental behaviours, in their intentions to select a TS destination. Our general
hypothesisthat Gen Z attitudes, values and daily pro-environmental habits influence their intention to
visit a TS destination was confirmed. Even so, we found some paradoxes.
On the one hand, Portuguese youth respondents seem to be pro-SGDs. They seem to be
conscious of all sustainable goals ranging from climate change to mental and physical health to all
types of equality. This finding is in line with those of other studies (Yamane and Kaneko, 2021;
Hamadeh, 2022). On the other hand, we did not find direct involvement of respondents with
environmental protection. Not only do they have no pro-environmental behaviour in their daily lives,
but this pattern also extends to tourism by implying that they do not avoid very popular destinations
and that they do not agree that air travel (considered highly polluting) should be more expensive.
Therefore, we found that respondents’values and behaviours are not aligned with TS. Similar
findings were revealed elsewhere (Haddouche and Salomone, 2018;G€
orpe and
€
Oks€
uz, 2022).
Moreover, another noteworthy finding was that recycling and reducing water and energy
consumption seem to be their only daily habits. The pro-environmental behaviour of the
respondents concerned only actions performed in the household, namely recycling and reducing
water and energy consumption. A possible explanation for these exceptional pro-environmental
behaviours may be their parental imposition. The majority of Generation Z young people still live
with their parents who recognize the long-term economic benefits of energy and water costs
reduction to lower cost maintenance. However, more research is needed here.
The finding that respondents are not, in practice (daily life) committed to protecting the environment
is an interesting result that deserves to be analysed carefully. This finding is all the more important
as the associations from the PLS model showed that pro-environmental habits have the greatest
impact on the choice of a TS destination. There is a conflict between theoretical concerns and their
practical implementation. One reason for this pro-environmental behavioural neglect by young
people may be their disbelief (lack of hope) that they can tackle climate change. Members of Gen Z
may feel “doomers”. Climate ‘doomers”believe the world has already lost the battle against global
warming and this idea is spreading online. This is extremely important as previous studies
concluded that 80% of generation Z respondents obtain information on environmental protection
only from social media (Parzonko et al., 2021). They feel like climate convicts and believe that
climate damage is irreversible. Thus, “doomism”leads to climate inaction, exactly the opposite of
what is intended. For instance, BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) news report videos
uploaded by a 27-year-old where he calls himself a “climate doomer”and where said since 2019
that “little to nothing”can be done to “actually reverse climate change on a global scale (Morales,
2022). Another reason for the discrepancies between SDGs declarations and pro-environmental
behaviours displayed by respondents may result from the fact that their declarations are shaped to
a large extent by social media. Thus, social media should be used to spread daily environmentally
friendly behaviour in the hope that young people will act as followers.
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We also found evidence that young girls are more sensitive to the general problem of sustainable
development than young men. This result is not surprising insofar as achieving gender equality and
women’s empowerment is integral to each of the 17 SDGs adopted by world leaders in 2015.
Furthermore, we found that the majority of younger participants have a negative outlook on the
future, confirming international findings (Corbisiero and Ruspini, 2018).
Conclusion
The challenge of achieving sustainable development is large and pressing. The difficulty lies in
equating the importance of environmental protection policy with economic and social policy. This
requires a change in the mind-set of societies. A lot of hope has been placed on the current young
Generation Z to achieve this desideratum. But will this generation be able to make the change?
According to our findings, the real pro-environmental behaviour of Gen Z respondents as well as
their views about some TS matters does not live up to their declarations concerning SDGs. Indeed,
their theoretical concerns are not consonant with their attitudes in practice. Furthermore,
concerning the sustainable tourism sector, in particular, based on the views expressed by our
respondents it may be utopian to believe that this generation will substantially alter the
development of tourism as we know it. The findings do not corroborate the established idea that
members of generation Z will be the next saviours of the environment highlighting the difference
between theoretical ideas and practical behavioural realizations. Unfortunately, based on our
findings, we think it will be difficult to promote Portuguese community literacy about SDGs with the
help of members of Generation Z as has been advocated (Hamadeh, 2022).
Achieving sustainable development and sustainable tourism is a global objective. Like it or not, the
only hope remains the contribution of members of Generation Z.
Theoretical and practical implications
The findings of this study offer several theoretical and empirical insights into the relationships
among Generation Z attitudes, beliefs and behaviours concerning sustainability, in general, and
TS, in particular.
First, we focused on the Gen Z cohort. There seem to be a fixed idea claiming the sustainable
behaviour of Gen Z as socially and environmentally conscious citizens. However, there is little
empirical research on this cohort of daily political and pro-environmental behaviours and their
concerns in choosing a sustainable tourist destination. The present study is the first to investigate
the attitudes, values, and behaviours of members of Generation Z in an integrated way on the goals
of sustainable development in general and sustainability in tourism in particular. Second, the study
here reported is the first study of this nature to be carried out in Portugal. To the best of the authors’
knowledge, no study to date has explored the opinions of young Portuguese Gen Zers on
sustainability issues, nor has it evaluated their potential contribution to more sustainable tourism.
The fact that it was carried out in a developed country context highlights that neither Gen Z’s pro-
environmental behaviour nor its concern for sustainable tourism still seems culturally rooted in
developed countries. Third, the results show that the pro-environmental habits of young people are
the biggest influence in choosing a sustainable tourist destination.
The results obtained in the present work deserve some reflection and provide some clues on the
way forward to ensure that this generation is still able to contribute significantly to the development
of more sustainable tourism. In summary, a concerted and coordinated effort towards tourism
policymakers is required to engage Gen Z tourists with pro-environmental behaviours in general
and with TS, in particular. We propose some important roles to be played by tourism organizations
and decision-makers. Most significant is the fact that policymakers and destination management
organizations should take advantage of Gen Z technology skills in their engagement in political
consumerism and especially sustainable and ethical consumerism. Technology is proven to have a
positive correlation with the environmental, socio-cultural and economic dimensions of sustainable
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VOL. ▪▪▪ NO. ▪▪▪
tourism perception among Generation Z (Sfodera et al., 2022;Seyfi et al., 2022). Thus, tourism
stakeholders should bear in mind the importance of clear digital information provision and
communication as this is the starting point at which individuals decide whether issues are
meaningful to them or not. In this regard, some measures could be taken. One of them would be for
decision-makers to take advantage of these young people’s digital capabilities and share, through
video content, tourism stories of green volunteerism on social network platforms. Publicizing
practices such as cleaning beaches or green areas, replanting trees and recycling plastics, among
others, can be a means of involving young people in pro-environmental behaviours while
encouraging them to seek more sustainable destinations. Another measure that would be worth
implementing, once again taking advantage of the digital gifts of youth tourists, would be the
development of gamified tourism experiences through the practice of geocaching. The activities
and micro-activities that so appeal to Millennials and Generation Z, such as solving cache puzzles,
using maps and clues, finding location co-ordinates, and reading and interpreting GPS (Global
Positioning System) devices involved in cache search (Skinner et al., 2018) encourage the
involvement of young people with the environment, making nature tourism more attractive and
sought after. Emotions, pleasure and enchantment are at the heart of the Gen Z tourist experience
and needs. Thus tourism professionals must identify the emotional levers to be activated and use
them to enhance more sustainable tourism. Members of Gen Z look for experiences rather than
products. Finally, the use of social networks must be increased to instil in young people daily pro-
environmental habits. For instance, disseminating information about the dangers arising from the
negative impact of man on the natural environment can contribute to the reflection on the individual
and collective behaviour of this generation. However, these measures that aim to modify
behaviours must be agreed upon at an international level.
Last but not least, destinations and tourism businesses should see the recent Covid-19
pandemic as an opportunity to identify new and more sustainable ways of welcoming and
managing tourism flows. As recognized by some researchers, the disruption owing to the recent
Covid-19 pandemic can be converted into transformative innovation and help reshape and
rethink tourism (Corbisiero and Monaco, 2021;Monaco, 2021;Corbisiero et al., 2022). The
public health crisis has hit the way of life of young people in an unprecedented way. At this stage
of their lives, they want to socialize and the pandemic has isolated them, interrupting their
lifestyles until it becomes an unnatural process. Due to the shutdowns and consequent absence
of travel, members of Gen Z are eager to travel and become more aware of the positive effect of
travel on their quality of life. Moreover, safety concerns may change their travel behaviours with
younger tourists preferring more natural destinations. Indeed, tourism decision-makers must
grasp this eagerness to travel among young people and these safety concerns to develop the
role of innovation and digital solutions to assure tourists of different ways of using either physical
or digital services emphasizing the commitment to the development of more sustainable tourism
(Monaco, 2021).
Limitations and future directions
The results of the present study should be interpreted with appropriate caution, however, given the
non-random nature of the sample. The conclusions cannot be generalized either to the Portuguese
of Generation Z or members of this generation, in general. However, the aim here was to shed
some light on the belief that Portuguese Gen Z will change the future of tourism by making it more
sustainable. It is our contention that these drawbacks are overcome by the contribution of
this study.
In follow-up research, it would be useful to perform a quali-quantitative methodology to investigate
either the reasons why members of Gen Zers engage or do not in pro-environmental behaviours
and if they feel “doomers”. It would also be useful to conduct further international comparative
research to compare views across a range of different countries using a common study design –
either this one or another common format to explore cultural differences and trace patterns of
common preferences and behaviours.
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(The Appendix follows overleaf)
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Appendix
Figure A1 Confirmatory factor analysis model
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Table A1 Scale application and descriptive analysis of respondents’opinions concerning
dependent and independent variables
Section 2. How much importance do you attach to the following issues
Totally
disagree Disagree Neutral Agree
Totally
agree Mean
Std.
Deviation
ES1.1. Climate
Change
1.6 1.0 5.6 29.8 62.0 4.50 0.787
ES1.2. Animal
Protection
0.7 0.0 6.2 24.9 68.2 4.60 0.667
ES1.3. Justice 0.0 0.0 5.6 18.0 76.4 4.71 0.565
ES1.4. Gender
Equality
1.0 1.0 8.5 16.7 72.8 4.59 0.769
ES1.5 Racial Equality 0.7 0.3 4.6 14.4 80.0 4.73 0.624
ES1.6 Poverty and
Inequalities
0.3 0.3 5.9 22.0 71.5 4.64 0.64
ES1.7. LGBT Equality 1.6 3.3 14.4 21.3 59.3 4.33 0.953
ES1.8. Fight
corruption
0.0 0.0 6.9 23.3 69.8 4.63 0.610
ES1.9. Mental Health 0.0 0.3 3.0 12.8 83.9 4.80 0.487
ES1.10 Physical
Health
0.0 0.0 3.3 34.4 62.3 4.59 0.555
Section 3. How often do you adhere to the following habits
Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always Mean
Std.
Deviation
ES2.1. Recycling 6.0 12.0 30.0 29.7 22.3 2.50 1.141
ES2.2. Use public transport 22.1 23.2 28.9 18.1 7.7 1.66 1.224
ES2.3. Use environ. Friendly
brands
6.0 24.7 44.7 22.0 2.7 1.91 0.899
ES2.4. Reduce water 2.0 8.4 36.1 36.1 17.4 2.59 0.939
ES2.5. Reduce energy 2.3 9.7 31.4 39.1 17.4 2.60 0.962
ES2.6. Avoid plastic 6.0 18.0 37.7 27.7 10.7 2.19 1.044
ES2.7. Avoid meat
consumption
36.9 34.6 26.8 8.4 3.4 1.07 1.083
Section 4. Indicate your level of agreement with the following statements
Totally
Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree
Totally
Agree Mean
Std.
Deviation
ES30.1. I care about the well-
being of the locals in the
destinations I visit (or plan to
visit)
0.3 2.0 7.3 37.3 53.0 4.41 0.741
ES3.2. I avoid destinations
that are very popular/have a
lot of tourists
18.7 32.0 29.0 14.7 5.7 2.57 1.121
ES3.3. Air travel should be
taxed more or its offer should
be reduced to reduce the
environmental impact
18.7 32.1 31.8 12.0 5.4 2.53 1.091
Dependent Variable: How important is the following factor when choosing your travel destination?
Nothing
Important
Not very
Important Neutral Important
Very
Important Mean
Std.
Deviation
Sustainable
destination
4.5 7.6 27.8 41.2 18.9 3.63 1.017
Note(s): Percentage response, Mean and Standard deviation
Source(s): Authors
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Corresponding author
Micaela Pinho can be contacted at: michaelapinho@hotmail.com
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Table A2 Estimates of linear regression analysis
Intention to visit a
sustainable tourist
destination (ISTD)
Sustainable
development
concerns (SDC)
Pro-environmental
daily behaviours
(PEDB)
Sustainable tourism
concerns (STC)
Estimate p-value Estimate p-value Estimate p-value Estimate p-value
Gender 0.295* 0.000 0.342* 0.000 0.285* 0.000 0.136* 0.022
Age 0.063 0.252 0.174* 0.014 0.252 0.364 0.188 0.149
Note(s): *p-Value ≤0.05
Source(s): Authors
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