Impact of green practices on ecological conscious consumer behaviour: An empirical investigation of hotels in Sri Lanka

Abstract

 The rising attention towards ecologically conscious consumer behavior (ECCB) emphasises the need for implementing green practices to reduce environmental challenges and attract environmentally conscious consumers. Therefore, the adoption of green practices is imperative for the success of the hotel industry. As Sri Lanka’s economy is largely supported by tourism, many hotels initiate green practices. However, there is a lack of evidence in research regarding ECCB on green practices of hotels in Sri Lanka. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of green practices on ECCB and propose strategies to improve the ECCB in the Sri Lankan context. Thus, a comprehensive literature review followed by a mixed approach occupying the case study strategy and survey strategy were adopted. Under the case study strategy, 15 semi-structured interviews among hotel employees, document reviews, and non-participant observations were used within three cases and its stakeholders. A questionnaire survey was carried out among 117 hotel customers. Descriptive frequency analysis and content analysis were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that seven green initiatives were well accepted and positively impacted ECCB. Study recommends promoting the value of going green, providing education, and enlightening customers on benefits, to uplift ECCB. The study makes substantial contributions to both theoretical knowledge and practical implications within the industry by filling a research gap and providing insights into how consumers perceive and respond to green practices. The study opens areas for future research on investigating policy.