Predictors of the environmentally responsible behaviour of participants: An empirical investigation of interpretative dolphin-watching tours

Abstract

The Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis) in Hong Kong is on the verge of extinction, as it has been facing multiple human-induced threats. Dolphin-watching tours have provided great opportunities for raising public awareness of the conservation of the species; however, such tours may inevitably cause disturbances to dolphins if tourists do not behave responsibly. This study aims to assess the drivers of the environmentally responsible behaviour (ERB) of tourists in terms of motivation, interpretative knowledge enhancement (IKE) and satisfaction. A questionnaire survey was administered to participants of dolphin-watching tours in Tai O, a popular dolphin-watching destination in Hong Kong. A total of 745 questionnaire samples were collected, and structural equation modelling was performed for the analysis. The results show that motivation, IKE and satisfaction were all positively and significantly correlated with ERB, whereas IKE and satisfaction were found to mediate the relationship between motivation and ERB. IKE was found to be a stronger predictor of ERB than satisfaction. The following practical implications for ecotourism are drawn: 1) it is important to include interpretation for management and education in ecotourism; and 2) the content of interpretation should include conservation messages and suggestions for behavioural changes.

Keywords

• Environmentally responsible behaviour
• Satisfaction
• Interpretation
• Motivation
• Dolphin-watching tour