Cultural Differences between Asians and Non-Asians affect Buying Attitudes and Purchasing Behaviours towards Green Tourism Products

Abstract

Green tourism products include environment-friendly hotels adopted in re-cyclable goods and facilities; airlines decided to reduce carbon emissions to tackle climate change; such examples have been widely promoted over the past decade. This study explores the cultural differences between Asians and non-Asians in the context of buying attitudes and behaviour related to green tourism products. A qualitative exploratory approach was used to examine the attitudes of Asian and non-Asian tourists when selecting green tourism products and to investigate how cultural differences affect buying behaviour to provide recommendations to tourism marketers developing strategies to promote tourism products. Thirty destination visitors from 11 countries took part in in-depth interviews. The Asian visitors' attitudes towards green tourism products were influenced by their cultural norms and their governments' implemented policies. Non-Asian attitudes were affected by individual norms and beliefs. The findings highlight an Asians focus on pricing, whereas non-Asians consider quality and style more than pricing when buying green tourism products. Marketing messages that target Asian visitors should use emotional appeals and link to their historical background. Those that target non-Asians should emphasise individual responsibility. The paper provides practical guidelines for international tourism marketers who plan to target various markets.