what motivates travellers to visit low-carbon destinations? empirical evidence from Thailand

What the paper says

Purpose – Despite growing interest in low-carbon tourism research, few studies have explored travellers’ motivations for choosing low-carbon destinations, particularly through the push-pull theory. Research indicates that motivations for environmental tourism may vary across cultures due to multiple factors, necessitating a context-specific investigation and diverse research approaches. This study addresses these gaps by applying the push-pull motivation theory to examine travel motivations in the context of low-carbon destinations in Thailand. A thorough understanding of tourist motivations across different cultural settings is essential for advancing theoretical knowledge and promoting sustainable tourism practices. Methodology/Design/Approach – Adopting a naturalistic inquiry approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Findings – The study identifies three push factors: good environment seeking, learning & knowledge seeking, and rest & escape; and six pull factors: attractive destination attributes, interesting tourist activities, appealing communication, convenient accessibility, environmentally friendly service providers, and environmental management appeals. The study reveals both common and new push and pull factors related to low-carbon travel motivations. Originality of the research – This study contributes to the push-pull motivation theory by introducing good environment seeking as a distinct push factor. It further refines the conceptualisation of pull factors by integrating sustainability practices with traditional destination attributes, thereby enhancing the theoretical understanding of what makes lowcarbon destinations attractive.