Is Gen Z really that different? Environmental attitudes, travel behaviours and sustainability practices of international tourists to Canterbury, New Zealand

Abstract

Age has a significant influence on environmental attitudes and behaviour but there is no consensus on the effect that generational cohort has on these attitudes and behaviour. Using the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) as the theoretical lens, this study evaluates whether Gen Z is similar or different to three other generations (Gen X, Y and Baby Boomers) on their environmental attitudes toward travel. The sustainability practices that these generational cohorts undertake during their travel are also evaluated. Based on 615 useable surveys of international visitors to the Canterbury region of New Zealand, we identify segments of visitors based on environmental attitudes and behaviour toward travel and generational cohort using a two-step clustering procedure. The results confirm inter-generational differences in environmental attitudes and travel behaviours but also highlight intra-generational differences. Gen Z tourists are more likely to belong to “Environmental” or “Mixed-Bag Environmental” segments that are more likely engage in sustainable practices related to resource saving and buying local food compared to other generations. The findings have implications for destination marketing and management.

Keywords:

• Sustainable tourism
• generational cohorts
• Gen Z
• sustainability practices
• environmental attitudes
• new ecological paradigm
• New Zealand

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the Tourism Industry New Zealand Trust (TINZT) and the authors would like to express their gratitude to Bruce Bassett and the team at Christchurch International Airport Limited (CIAL) for their support.

Notes on contributors

Girish Prayag

Girish Prayag is a Professor of Tourism Marketing in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the UC Business School, Christchurch, New Zealand. He is co-author of the book “Tourism Resilience: Individual, Organizational and Destination Perspectives” published by Channel View. He has published more than 100 articles in leading tourism and marketing journals and is the Editor (Method & Practice) for the journal Current Issues in Tourism.

Richard S. Aquino

Dr Richard S. Aquino is a Lecturer of Tourism and Marketing at the UC Business School, University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. His doctoral research focused on how the adoption of social entrepreneurship through tourism changes host communities in his home country, the Philippines. Richard also has expertise in sustainable tourism planning and development, geotourism, tourist behaviour, and recently, the application of native epistemologies in tourism knowledge production. Currently, he serves as the research notes editor of Tourism in Marine Environments and an editor of the Austrian Journal of South-East Asian Studies.

C. Michael Hall

C. Michael Hall is a Professor in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand; Docent, Department of Geography, University of Oulu, Finland; and Visiting Professor, School of Business and Economics, Linnaeus University, Kalmar. He publishes widely on tourism, sustainability, global environmental change and regional development.

Ning (Chris) Chen

Dr. Ning (Chris) Chen is Senior Lecturer in the UC Business School at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and Research Fellow at the Tsinghua University Center for Development of Sports Industry, Tsinghua University, China. His research interests are in place attachment, resident/tourist psychology and behaviour, destination branding and sports marketing.

Peter Fieger

Dr. Peter Fieger holds academic appointments at the University of New England and Federation University Australia. His research is about economic issues in tourism, as well as related skills and workforce aspects. Previously he has been the Senior Economist of the Regional Tourism Organisation of Canterbury, New Zealand.