How Does Environmental Education Moderate Local People’s Commitment to the Environment and Intention to Support Tourism Development?

Abstract

This research has been conducted to determine the environmental commitment of local people and its effect on the intention to support sustainable tourism development based on the Value–Belief–Norm Theory. In addition to related studies in the literature, the present study also examined the moderating role of environmental education. The study data were obtained from local people living in Manavgat, Antalya, one of the most notable tourism destinations in Turkey. Prior to testing the hypothetical research model through the structural model, the data were examined for outlier calculations, normality distributions, and potential multicollinearity issues. As a consequence of obtaining satisfactory findings, the structural model was tested using the AMOS program. Moreover, the Process macro (model 1) was preferred to measure the moderator effect. The results of this research demonstrate the consistency of the Value–Belief–Norm Theory and show that residents’ personal norms influence their environmental commitment and intention to support sustainable tourism development. Furthermore, the findings of this study revealed the moderating role of environmental education in these relationships. Several theoretical and practical implications have been identified for destination management organizations, industry managers, policy-makers, and academics working in the field.