Does guest perception of sustainability affect consumer advocacy in hospitality?

Authors

  • Lucimari Acosta Pereira Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas, RS, Brasil.
  • Ricardo Saraiva Frio Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, RS, Brasil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4536-4687
  • Melise de Lima Pereira Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
  • Thayele Oliveira dos Santos Universidade do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI), Itajaí, SC, Brasil.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v18.2969

Keywords:

Consumer advocacy, Perception of sustainability, Sustainable atitude, Environmental concern, Customer citizenship

Abstract

The academic literature presents a need for studies of the sustainability of businesses and consumer advocacy in the tourism sector. Tourism researchers have integrated behavior theory in the last decade, explaining the inconsistency between intention and behavior from different theoretical frameworks. In this sense, this research analyzes how the perception of sustainability in the hotel sector affects consumer advocacy. In addition, the article explores the importance of the sustainable attitude of consumers and their environmental concerns as moderators of this relationship.  Consumer citizenship is a fundamental theory, because it involves voluntary behaviors connected to the organization (e.g., word of mouth and advocacy). Quantitative research was conducted to test the hypotheses; the questionnaire consisted of 34 items validated in the literature in the context of experience with hotels, and the technique of modeling structural equations based on variance was used to analyze the results. Data were collected between June and August 2023. The final sample was 104 consumers. We found that the perception of sustainability explains consumer advocacy. However, the sustainable attitude and environmental concern do not moderate the relationship. Sustainability practices in the company generate positive outcomes for the consumer, expanding the understanding of the determinants of consumer advocacy and contributing to the understanding of the customer's citizenship.

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Author Biographies

Lucimari Acosta Pereira, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel), Pelotas, RS, Brasil.

Professora na Universidade Federal de Pelotas, UFPEL, atuando no curso de Turismo (graduação). Doutora em Turismo e Hotelaria pela Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, UNIVALI. Contribuições: concepção da pesquisa, revisão da literatura, coleta de dados, análise de dados, discussão dos resultados.

Ricardo Saraiva Frio, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), Rio Grande, RS, Brasil.

Professor na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, FURG, atuando na graduação e pós-graduação, no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração (PPGA/FURG). Doutor em Administração pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, UFRGS. Contribuições: concepção da pesquisa, revisão da literatura, coleta de dados, análise de dados, discussão dos resultados.

Melise de Lima Pereira, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, PR, Brasil.

Professora na Universidade Federal do Paraná, UFPR, atuando na graduação e pós-graduação, no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Turismo (PPGTUR/UFPR). Doutora em Turismo e Hotelaria pela Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, UNIVALI. Contribuições: concepção da pesquisa, revisão da literatura, discussão dos resultados.

Thayele Oliveira dos Santos, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí (UNIVALI), Itajaí, SC, Brasil.

Doutoranda em Turismo e Hotelaria pela Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, UNIVALI. Mestre em Turismo no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Turismo (PPGTUR/UFPR). Contribuições: concepção da pesquisa, revisão da literatura, discussão dos resultados.

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Published

2024-09-24

How to Cite

Pereira, L. A. ., Frio, R. S., Pereira, M. de L. ., & Santos, T. O. dos . (2024). Does guest perception of sustainability affect consumer advocacy in hospitality?. Revista Brasileira De Pesquisa Em Turismo, 18, 2969 . https://doi.org/10.7784/rbtur.v18.2969

Issue

Vol. 18 (2024)

Section

Articles - Tourism Management

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Copyright (c) 2024 Lucimari Acosta Pereira, Ricardo Saraiva Frio, Melise Acosta Pereira, Thayele Oliveira dos Santos

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