THE MEDIATING ROLE OF GREEN IMAGE BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA ATTRIBUTES AND THE INTENTION TO REVISIT GREEN RESORTS

Abstract

This study aims to investigate social media attributes—including sharing of content, accessibility, and credibility—that can impact a tourist's intention to revisit green resorts. It also examines the mediating role of the green image between social media attributes and a tourist’s intention to revisit green resorts. The social information processing theory was utilized as the theoretical framework to explain the hypothesized relationships. Data was collected through an online survey targeted at tourists who visit the Maldives' green resorts and have used social media to search for information about these resorts. A total of 140 usable responses were collected. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the data. The results confirm that sharing of content and the accessibility of social media positively impact the green image, which in turn drives tourists’ intention to revisit. However, the credibility of social media neither directly influences the green image nor indirectly impacts tourists' intention to revisit. This study applies the social information processing theory to offer a fresh perspective on social media and sustainable marketing concepts. Additionally, it contributes to the field of sustainable marketing by investigating the concept of a green image in the context of developing economies, where this topic has not been extensively studied.

Keywords

• social media attributes
• green image
• intention to revisit
• green marketing communication
• sustainable tourism
• responsible consumption & production