ECO Friendly 'Activities' VS ECO Friendly 'Attitude': Travelers Intention to Choose Green Hotels in Malaysia

The hospitality industry as a whole is being pressured by many parties to become more environmentally friendly. Hotels are becoming more aware of their impact and are taking an interest and participating in green initiatives. As more and more tourists are becoming increasingly concerned about the environment and environmentally products, it is crucial for the hotel industry to explore this concept of green hotels in more detail. In the hotel industry, green hotels are defined as lodging establishments that have made a commitment to diverse ecologically sound practices such as saving water, energy and reducing solid waste. This study examines the influence of ecofriendly attitudes and environmentally friendly activities on tourists' intention to choose green hotels as their preferred accommodation. By using the intercept survey method, data were collected from tourists at the international airport in Malaysia. The present study confirms previous findings on the relationship between attitudes towards the environment and environment-friendly behavior, that is, tourists with high environmental attitudes are more willing to stay in a green hotel. The present study also found a positive and significant relationship of environmentally friendly activities and intention to stay at a green hotel among tourists. This implies that tourists who have greater involvement in environmentally friendly activities in their daily life are more likely to choose green hotels as their choice. The theoretical implications and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.