Influencing tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior through green destination brand equity: mediating role of green destination trust and moderating role of destination green innovation

Purpose – Based on the simulation-organism-response theory, the purpose of the research is to investigate the effect of green destinations brand equity (GDBE) on tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). The study has further explained the relationship between GDBE and tourists’ ERB through the mediation of destination green trust (DGT) and the moderation of destination green innovation (DGI). Methodology/Design/Approach – The study adopted a survey-based casual research design and gathered data through a self-administrative survey technique with structured questionnaires. Questionnaires were distributed to one thousand tourists visiting selected nature parks, and 821 were returned. Findings – Results for the four dimensions of GDBE and tourists ERB indicated that perceived destination awareness has an insignificant effect on tourists’ ERB, while perceived destination quality, perceived destination image, and perceived destination loyalty have significantly influenced tourists’ ERB. Further, results showed significant mediation of DGT. Finally, the results of the study indicated significant moderation of DGI between GDBE and tourists’ ERB. Originality of the research – Using signalling theory, study has enhanced the understanding of GDBE in shaping tourists’ ERB. Moreover GDT as a mediator and DGI as a moderator in the framework have extended the current literature. Keywords Destination green innovation, Green