“I am not unsustainable; I am on holiday!” moral disengagement and the holiday mindset of young travellers during a cruise

Abstract

Tourists often fail to follow through with their sustainable behaviour intentions. This lack of compliance can only truly be explored by observing their actions when immersed in the context of a vacation. A holistic case study was conducted by monitoring a group of young consumers on a cruise. Five quantitative and qualitative methods (i.e. baggage audit, participant observation, photo elicitation, diary and introspection) have been employed to collect rich and diverse data on young tourists’ behaviours. This allowed to complement behavioural measures with young tourist lived experiences, overcoming the limitations of self-reported measures. The findings suggest that young tourists do not always behave sustainably while on a cruise, and they morally disengage from such behaviours to deal with those choices. Eleven macro-categories of (un)sustainable behaviours have been observed and identified before, during and after the cruise. The findings also highlight the emergence of four coping mechanisms that allow young tourists to disengage from the unsustainable behaviour and overcome the discrepancy between their pro-environmental values and behaviours. Managers in the tourism industry need to find communication strategies that appeal to the sense of responsibility of a tourist even before the journey and highlight a hedonic dimension to sustainable behaviours.

Keywords:

• Young tourists
• moral reasoning
• sustainable behaviour
• holistic case study
• cruise

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marta Pizzetti

Marta Pizzetti is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Emlyon Business School, Ecully, France. Her research interests deal with corporate hypocrisy and misbehavior (e.g. brand transgressions, greenwashing), ethical and sustainable consumption and consumer well-being. She published on journals in the marketing field, including the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Ethics, and Psychology & Marketing.

Giulia Miniero

Giulia Miniero is Associate Professor of Marketing at Franklin University Switzerland in Lugano, Switzerland. Before joining Franklin University, Giulia obtained her Ph.D in Business Administration and Management from Bocconi University where she still teaches in graduate and executive programs. After her Ph.D she obtained a Post Doc Scholarship at Università della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Her research interests are in the area of consumer behavior with specific reference to experiential marketing and consumer brand relationship evolution. Her works have been published on the major international academic outlets such as International Journal of Research in Marketing, Psychology and Marketing, International Journal of Consumer Studies and Journal of Consumer Marketing.

Michelle Bonera

Michelle Bonera is Associate Professor of Management at the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Brescia (Italy), where she teaches Marketing and Digital marketing. She is a founding member of the Brixia Accesibility Lab – research laboratory on Accessibility to Cultural Heritage and Wellness. Her research interests are focused on green consumption behaviour, online consumption behaviour and tourist consumption behaviour. She has published a book, chapters in national and international books and papers in journals, Current Issues in Tourism, International Journal of Consumer Studies, European Business Review, TQM Journal, Management Research Review, Journal of Public Affairs, and Italian Journal of Marketing. She has been involved, as presenter and chairman, in several national and international conferences and in several national/international research projects.

Anna Paola Codini

Anna Paola Codini is Associate Professor of Management at the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Brescia (Italy), where she teaches Innovation and Operations Management and International Marketing. Her research interests refer to innovation management and green consumption. On these issues, she has published a book, chapters in national and international books, and papers in journals, as Knowledge Management Research and Practice, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Journal of Consumer Marketing, International Journal of Consumer Studies, European Business Review, Italian Journal of Marketing, and Technovation. She has been involved, as presenter and chairman, in several national and international conferences and in several national/international research projects.

Samantha Elam

Samantha Elam is a current 3rd-year student at Franklin University Switzerland pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Marketing Management. Before attending Franklin University Switzerland, she had completed her education in Lynchburg, Virginia, graduating with high academic honors. Samantha has a specific interest in research associated with food production and food testing industries. Alongside her studies, she is the Student Assistant to the Business and Economics Division, organizing guest lectures and networking events. Following graduation, Samantha intends to pursue a Master of Science in Market Research.