Intention of foreign tourists to stay in eco-certified accommodation: With special reference to Sri Lanka

The purpose of this study is to explore the intention of foreign tourists to stay in eco-certified accommodations. In the tourism supply chain tourist accommodation facilities play a key role, because a significant portion of the tourists’ satisfaction is closely associated with the quality and facilities of the accommodation. The accommodation establishments have the possibility to make more negative impacts on the natural environmental, since they utilize more natural and other resources. Therefore the environmental friendly conducts of the lodging industry contribute vastly to maintain the sustainability of tourism industry and to preserve the natural environment. Today, the accommodation establishments in both developed and developing countries have adapted the nationally and internationally recognized eco certifications and standards, as a proof of the environmental conservation and also as a marketing strategy. These certifications and standards are not mandatory in Sri Lanka. Therefore a less number of accommodation units have voluntarily received them due to the high cost and efforts involve with the accreditation process. Most of the hoteliers justify their poor attention and interest for eco-certifications, saying that yet they have not realized, whether the tourists are concerning the eco-friendly practices and eco certifications, when they select accommodation. Further, the hoteliers are ready to go for eco certification and standards bearing the associated heavy cost and massive efforts, if the tourists are concerning the factor eco-certification and environmental friendly operations when selecting their accommodation.  Hence, this study conduct to explore the degree of interest of the foreign tourists to stay in eco certified accommodation places, and know whether they are willing to pay premiums for their eco-friendly stay. Further, the study broadly examined the factors that affect foreign tourists’ intention to select eco certified accommodation facilities. Many researchers have highlighted a large number of factors that affect consumers’ green purchasing behaviour. The study mainly targeted to determine the effect of tourists’ personality characteristics (collectivism nature and external locus of control of the tourists’ personality) and social influencing factors (subjective norms and environmental visibilities) towards their intention to select eco certified accommodation facilities.  The study was conducted as a questionnaire survey and all the foreign tourists, who visit Sri Lanka, were taken as the target population and 384 tourists were randomly selected according to the sample size table of Krejcie & Morgan, (1970). Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were employed as the data analysis techniques. The study concluded tourists with strong collectivism and internal locus of control exhibit a positive intention to select eco certified accommodation facilities and their environmental visibility and subjective norms positively affect their intention to select eco certified accommodation facilities. Further, the study found that the green purchasing intention of the foreign tourists were in a higher level and also they will pay price premiums for eco certified accommodation facilities