Exploring youth awareness, intention and opinion on green travel: The case of Malaysia

Abstract

Green travel is a construct that has drawn a lot of attention among researchers. The literature acknowledges the importance of green travel and its role in helping to protect the environment by encouraging practices such as travelling light and sticking to the path to avoid trampling. This paper presents findings from an empirical study on youth and their tendencies to take ‘green’ actions during travel. The study was conducted in Malaysia’s northern region, September–December 2015. The analysis of quantitative data obtained from a random sample of 200 college students aged 19–30 from three universities shows no significant difference across sociodemographic variables in relation to green travel engagement. Nonetheless, there is a link between youth awareness, attitude and opinion and their green travel tendencies. The paper concludes that this new insight could add to the existing knowledge on green travel and youth. Theoretical and managerial implications of the study’s findings are considered at the end of the paper.