A green step forward: Eliciting consumers' purchasing decisions regarding green hotel accommodation in Australia

Abstract

This study identifies beliefs and additional constructs that contribute to the formation of Australian residents' purchasing decisions of green hotel accommodation through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A qualitative approach using focus groups and open-ended questionnaires were employed to gain an in-depth understanding of the beliefs of travelers in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The study utilizes thematic content analysis from three focus group discussions with 15 participants. Benefits, concerns, referents, facilitators and barriers were identified. Moreover, there was significant unprompted vagueness regarding the green hotel practices. The results provided distinctive information concerning Australian residents' beliefs about staying in green hotels. Moreover, the study revealed that the TPB needs expansion to account for the lack of knowledge about green hotel practices. The research adds to a growing body of literature on the use of theory to study consumer behavior in the green hotel sector.