The main purpose of this study is to develop an environmental mitigation behavior model (EMBM) for predicting waste reduction behaviors among young coastal tourists in Bangladesh by modifying and extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB).
The research has been administered by applying mixed method (both qualitative and quantitative), where study-1(qualitative) identifies factors, study-2 (quantitative) verifies factors by employing exploratory factor analysis (EFA) approach, and study-3 confirms factors influencing waste reduction behaviors among young coastal tourists by employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Study-2 collects 385 valid responses and analyzes by applying the principal component analysis (PCA) technique with the Varimax rotation method by using SPSS-v25, and Study-3 collects 501 valid responses and analyzes by partial least structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique, using Smart PLS3.3.3.
The study findings have revealed that waste reduction intention and perceived ecological balance significantly influence waste reduction behaviors among young coastal tourists in Bangladesh. Further, waste reduction intention is significantly predicted by mitigation attitude, resource conservation norms and environmental perceptions. Furthermore, environmental ethics significantly affects mitigation attitudes and resource conservation norms.
The study offers several insightful implications (e.g. incentives, charging fines, environmental awareness-related knowledge-based campaign, etc.) for policymakers and industry operators, which may be a dynamic cost-effective mechanism for reducing waste at coastal tourism destinations in Bangladesh as well as in the world.
This study addresses the need for developing a model that can explain waste reduction behaviors among young coastal tourists in Bangladesh, and thus, the study uniquely postulates the theory of environmental mitigation behavior for predicting waste reduction behaviors by modifying and extending the TPB.
