RT Journal Article
T1 Exploring pro-sustainable tourists in nature-based destinations: a Biosphere Reserve case study.
A1 López-Sánchez, Yaiza
A1 Carrillo-Hidalgo, Isabel
A1 Casado-Montilla, Jairo
A1 Pulido-Fernández, Juan Ignacio
K1 Ecoturismo
K1 Turismo - Aspectos ambientales
AB Nature-based destinations are increasingly regarded as appropriate contexts for advancing sustainable tourism; however, demand-side segmentation approaches that explicitly incorporate sustainability dimensions remain limited. This study examines how tourists’ knowledge, attitudes, behaviours, and willingness to pay in relation to sustainability can be combined within a multidimensional segmentation framework. Based on survey data from 1188 tourists visiting a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Southern Europe, a Two-Step Cluster Analysis identifies three distinct segments: sustainable supporter tourists, individualistic tourists, and critical tourists. The results reveal a persistent attitude – behaviour gap. Although sustainability awareness and favourable attitudes are widespread, more than 70% of tourists across all segments are unwilling to pay more for sustainable options. Socioeconomic characteristics – particularly education, income, and age – emerge as stronger predictors of willingness to pay than pro-sustainability orientations alone. Notably, the introduction of fiscal incentives significantly increases willingness to pay, especially among sustainability-oriented tourists, underscoring the importance of extrinsic mechanisms in shaping economic support for sustainability initiatives. By empirically demonstrating how sustainability-based segmentation can inform demand-driven management strategies, this study contributes to the international literature on sustainable tourism. The findings offer transferable insights for protected and nature-based destinations, highlighting the need for differentiated policy approaches that combine economic incentives with communication and behavioural strategies to engage heterogeneous tourist segments.
PB Taylor & Francis
SN 1745-2627
YR 2026
FD 2026-03-15
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/46263
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/46263
LA eng
NO López-Sánchez, Y., Carrillo-Hidalgo, I., Casado-Montilla, J., & Pulido-Fernández, J. I. (2026). Exploring pro-sustainable tourists in nature-based destinations: a biosphere reserve case study. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2026.2643400
NO https://openpolicyfinder.jisc.ac.uk/publication/6174?from=single_hit
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 15 abr 2026