A Dynamic Theoretical Model Based on Compensatory Ethics

How Religious Belief Shapes Tourists’ Pro-Environmental Behavior

Bibliographic Data

ID7159656
AuthorsChao Liu (0000-0001-9257-4519, PhD student, Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management in the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Macau, China), Yuansi Hou (0000-0002-2274-4524, Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management in the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Macau, China, corresponding author), Ruitong Gu (0000-0002-6023-7363, PhD student, Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management in the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Macau, China), Yingying Cai (0000-0002-2715-0135, PhD student, Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management in the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, Macau, China)
Year2025
Volume49
Issue7
Pages1256-1270
Publication date2025-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Hospitality & Tourism Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1096-3480 • E-ISSN: 1557-7554
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/10963480251313491
OpenAlexW4405986276
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited67

The neoclassical economic view, which posits that individuals’ behavioral motivations stem from utility maximization, overlooks the crucial role of ethical dimension. This oversight limits its ability to adequately explain tourist behavior, particularly in religious tourism and pro-environmental contexts where morality is a crucial determinant of tourist actions. Therefore, this paper aims to employ the compensatory ethics model as the intrinsic mechanism to elucidate how religious belief shapes tourists’ pro-environmental behavior. By using data derived from the WVS database and field survey, this interdisciplinary study develops a dynamic theoretical model based on compensatory ethics theory by integrating theories from religious tourism, behavioral economics, and religious studies. The results demonstrate that religious beliefs can attenuate tourists’ time preference and positively impact their pro-environmental behavior. Tourists exhibit different willingness for pro-environmental behavior during the moral licensing and moral cleansing phases. Furthermore, it provides beneficial practical insights for the religious tourism domain

Economics · Microeconomics · Morality · Political science · Positive economics · Preference · Sociology · Tourism · Willingness to pay · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Halal products and consumer behavior · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology

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