Sustainable Tourist Behaviour Scale (STBS): A Proposal

Delgado-Cruz, Alejandro; Valdés-Nava, Martín; Gómez-Vázquez, Raúl

doi:10.7784/rbtur.v19.3161

person Alejandro Delgado-Cruz

Conceptualization · Data curation · Formal analysis · Funding acquisition · Investigation · Methodology · Project administration · Resources · Supervision · Validation · Visualization · Writing – original draft · Writing – review & editing Professor at the Faculty of Tourism and Gastronomy, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Management and Executive Direction, a Master’s degree in Tourism Studies, a Specialisation in Tourism Business Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy. He is the lead of the Research and Innovation Network for Gastronomy and Tourism (RIIGATUR, from the Spanish: Red de Investigación e Innovación para la Gastronomía y el Turismo). His research interests include sustainability, innovation, and tourism.

schoolAutonomous University of the State of Mexico, (UAEMex), Toluca, Mexico.

0000-0002-9135-9304

person Martín Valdés-Nava

Conceptualization · Data curation · Formal analysis · Investigation · Methodology · Validation · Writing – original draft · Writing – review & editing Doctoral student in the Environmental Sciences, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Mexico. Academic at Official High School 319, Ministry of Public Education, Mexico. He holds a Master’s degree in Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Management. His research interests include sustainability, education, and tourism.

schoolAutonomous University of the State of Mexico, (UAEMex), Toluca, Mexico.

0009-0008-6162-6097

person Raúl Gómez-Vázquez

Conceptualization · Formal analysis · Investigation · Methodology · Supervision · Validation · Writing – original draft · Writing – review & editing Professor at the Division of Natural Sciences, Intercultural University of the State of Puebla, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, a Master’s in Rural Agroindustry, Territorial Development, and Agri-food Tourism, a Bachelor’s degree in International Economic Relations, and a Bachelor’s degree in Tourism. He is a member of the Research and Innovation Network for Gastronomy and Tourism (RIIGATUR, from the Spanish: Red de Investigación e Innovación para la Gastronomía y el Turismo). His research interests include sustainability, solidarity economy, and rural tourism.

schoolUniversidad Intercultural del Estado de Puebla (UIEP), Puebla, Mexico.

0000-0001-6036-1068

Email:
adelgadoc@uaemex.mx

Email:
martin_67895@hotmail.com

Email:
raul.gomez@uiep.edu.mx

Publisher

Glauber Eduardo de Oliveira Santos.

Author	Sample	Scale denomination	Scale dimensions	Number of items	Scale range	Validation test	Theoretical background
Passafaro et al. (2015)	141 Resident tourists from Lazio, Italy	Sustainable tourist	-Preferences -Attitudes -Personality traits	19	7-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “7 = strongly agree”	Principal axis factoring	Value- belief-norm theory
Fermani et al. (2020)	621 Resident tourists from Italy	Sustainable tourist stay scale	-Sustainable stay features -Less-massified -Destination facilities options	12	5-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “5 = strongly agree”	Structural equation modelling Exploratory factor analysis Confirmatory factor analysis	Not specified
John (2020)	224 Tourists of Munnar, India	Sustainable ecotourism behaviour	-Environmental expertise -Environmentally friendly behaviour -Destination specific behaviour -Economically favourable behaviour -Environmental learning behaviour	20	7-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “7 = strongly agree”	Structural equation modelling Exploratory factor analysis Confirmatory factor analysis	Not specified
Chandran et al. (2021)	536 Tourists of Goa, Munnar and Manali	Sustainable tourist behaviour	-Destination specific pro-environmental behaviour -Socially responsible behaviour -Environmental learning behaviour -Culturally favourable behaviour -Economically favourable Behaviour	24	7-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “7 = strongly agree”	Factorial validity Nomological validity	Not specified
Holmes et al. (2021)	783 Resident tourists from Canada	Sustainable travel behaviour	Not applicable (unidimensional)	8	7-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “7 = strongly agree”	Structural equation modelling Convergent validity	Not specified
Butnaru et al. (2022)	492 Resident tourists from Romania	Tourists’ sustainable behaviour	Not applicable (unidimensional)	6	5-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “5 = strongly agree”	Structural equation modelling Exploratory factor analysis Confirmatory factor analysis	Not specified
Di Vaio et al. (2022)	1,180 Tourists of Naples, Italy	Sustainable consumer behaviour during the visit	-Environmental sustainability -Social sustainability	12	7-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “7 = strongly agree”	Not specified	Not specified
Devkota et al. (2023)	282 Tourists of Bhaktapur, Nepal	Sustainable tourist behaviour	Not applicable (unidimensional)	3	5-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “5 = strongly agree”	Exploratory factor analysis Confirmatory factor analysis	Not specified
Wang et al. (2023)	320 Resident tourists from China	Environmentally sustainable behaviour	Not applicable (unidimensional)	3	5-point Likert scale, ranging from “1 = strongly disagree” to “5 = strongly agree”	Structural equation modelling Convergent and discriminant validity	Value- belief-norm theory

Dimension	ID	Indicator	Author
Ecological behaviour (EB)	EB_01	I avoid using plastic or disposable products	Chandran et al. (2020) Di Vaio et al. (2022) John (2020)
	EB_02	I avoid using personal care products (soap, toothpaste, sunscreen, makeup, among others) that are harmful to the environment
	EB_03	I avoid disturbing or harming the local flora and fauna
	EB_04	I avoid taking plants or animals from the destination
	EB_05	I avoid wasting resources (water, electricity, fuels, food)
	EB_06	For transportation, I prefer walking, biking, or other low-impact options
	EB_07	I dispose of waste properly
Sociocultural behaviour (SCB)	SCB_01	I respect the local culture (customs and traditions)	Chandran et al. (2020) Di Vaio et al. (2022) Li et al. (2022) Li et al. (2024)
	SCB_02	I am interested in learning about the local culture
	SCB_03	I engage in activities that benefit the local community
	SCB_04	Before taking photographs of other people or places, I ask for permission
	SCB_05	I interact respectfully with other (residents and other tourists)
	SCB_06	I take care of the community’s cultural heritage (archaeological sites, monuments, etc.)
Economic behaviour (ECB)	ECB_01	I buy products or services at fair prices	Chandran et al. (2020) Di Vaio et al. (2022) Holmes et al. (2021) John (2020)
	ECB_02	I buy food from local establishments
	ECB_03	I purchase local souvenirs and crafts
	ECB_04	I contribute financially or make donations to help maintain the destination

Variable	Category	Frequency (n)	Percentage (%)
Gender	Male	179	43.45
Gender	Female	242	58.74
Age	From 18 to 20 years old	22	5.34
	From 21 to 30 years old	113	27.43
	From 31 to 40 years old	151	36.65
	From 41 to 50 years old	92	22.33
	From 51 to 60 years old	32	7.77
	Over 61 years old	11	2.67
Marital status	Single	285	69.17
	Married	110	26.70
	Other	26	6.31
Occupation	Student	42	10.19
	Household activities	29	7.04
	Public sector employee	148	35.92
	Private sector employee	142	34.47
	Trader, own business or entrepreneur	51	12.38
	Other	9	2.18
Level of studies	Basic level (elementary and middle school)	12	2.91
Level of studies	Upper intermediate level (high school or equivalent)	102	24.76
Level of studies	Higher level (bachelor's degree, engineering, technical careers)	219	53.16
Level of studies	Graduate level (master's, doctorate and specialties)	88	21.36
Tourist type	Internal (in-country travel)	354	85.92
Tourist type	International (travel outside the country)	67	16.26
Main reason for visiting	Leisure or vacation	371	90.05
	Business, commerce or work	39	9.47
	Other	11	2.67
Company during visit	Alone	31	7.52
	Partner	99	24.03
	Family	182	44.17
	Friends	101	24.51
	Acquaintances	8	1.94
Length of stay	From 2 to 5 days	164	39.81
	From 6 to 10 days	160	38.83
	From 11 to 15 days	75	18.20
	More than 15 days	22	5.34
Mode of transportation to destination	Public transportation (bus)	102	24.76
	Airplane	112	27.18
	Borrowed or rented vehicle	65	15.78
	Own vehicle	142	34.47
Average spending during stay per person (in US dollars)	Less than $100	8	1.94
	From $101 to $200	19	4.61
	From $201 to $300	38	9.22
	From $300 to $400	164	39.81
	From $401 to $500	130	31.55
	From $501 to $600	32	7.77
	From $601 to $700	13	3.16
	From $701 to $800	13	3.16
	More than $801	4	0.97

Node	Betweenness	Closeness	Strength	Expected influence
EB_01	0.173	0.596	0.647	0.647
EB_02	-0.219	-0.128	-0.026	-0.026
EB_03	-1.200	-1.675	-2.182	-2.182
EB_04	-1.200	-1.445	-1.907	-1.907
EB_05	-0.023	-0.021	0.514	0.514
EB_06	-0.612	-0.038	0.466	0.466
EB_07	1.350	0.718	0.856	0.856
SCB_01	-0.808	-1.149	-0.682	-0.682
SCB_02	-0.219	-0.521	-0.038	-0.038
SCB_03	0.369	-0.275	1.304	1.304
SCB_04	-1.004	-0.645	0.344	0.344
SCB_05	2.135	1.321	0.638	0.638
SCB_06	-1.004	-0.592	-0.063	-0.063
ECB_01	0.173	0.728	0.476	0.476
ECB_02	0.565	1.627	1.000	1.000
ECB_03	1.742	1.681	0.082	0.082
ECB_04	-0.219	-0.183	-1.427	-1.427

Dimension	Coefficient α	Coefficient ω	AVE	Correlations Fornell-Larcker and Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT)
Dimension	Coefficient α	Coefficient ω	AVE	EB	SCB	ECB
Ecological behaviour (EB)	0.912	0.913	0.597	0.772*	0.827	0.686
Sociocultural behaviour (SCB)	0.893	0.897	0.585	0.750	0.764*	0.778
Economic behaviour (ECB)	0.915	0.918	0.737	0.642	0.710	0.858*

Indicator	Mean	Standard deviation	Skewness	Kurtosis
EB_01	4.986	1.125	-1.291	1.850
EB_02	4.824	1.124	-1.013	1.019
EB_03	4.905	1.115	-0.971	0.909
EB_04	4.791	1.114	-0.897	0.706
EB_05	4.910	1.147	-1.202	1.403
EB_06	4.755	1.161	-1.018	0.970
EB_07	4.848	1.138	-1.119	1.239
SCB_01	4.800	1.174	-1.096	0.951
SCB_02	4.729	1.257	-0.932	0.333
SCB_03	4.724	1.157	-0.866	0.304
SCB_04	4.781	1.187	-0.909	0.371
SCB_05	4.786	1.249	-1.131	1.088
SCB_06	4.786	1.155	-0.999	0.824
ECB_01	4.423	1.277	-0.685	-0.033
ECB_02	4.449	1.258	-0.736	0.103
ECB_03	4.461	1.299	-0.660	-0.256
ECB_04	4.378	1.308	-0.545	-0.300

Index	Recommended value	CFA unidimensional	CFA Three-dimensional	CFA via CB-SEM Three-dimensional
Chi-square (χ2)	-	739.871	339.689	264.847
Degrees of freedom (df)	-	119	116	116
χ2/df	< 3	6.217	2.928	2.283
Goodness of Fit Index (GFI)	> 0.900	0.801	0.909	0.975
Comparative Fit Index (CFI)	> 0.900	0.851	0.946	0.949
Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI)	> 0.900	0.830	0.937	0.940
Bentler-Bonett Non-normed Fit Index (NNFI)	> 0.900	0.830	0.937	0.940
Bentler-Bonett Normed Fit Index (NFI)	> 0.900	0.828	0.921	0.928
Bollen's Relative Fit Index (RFI)	> 0.900	0.804	0.908	0.916
Bollen's Incremental Fit Index (IFI)	> 0.900	0.852	0.947	0.949
Relative Noncentrality Index (RNI)	> 0.900	0.851	0.946	0.949
Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA)	< 0.080	0.111	0.068	0.073
Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR)	< 0.080	0.060	0.044	0.039
Hoelter's critical N (α = 0.010)	-	90.791	192.289	174.513

Variable Level	Relationship	Lambda (λ)	Standard error	z-value	p-value	R2
First order Ecological behaviour (EB)	EB → EB_01	0.808	0.000	*	*	0.653
	EB → EB_02	0.791	0.054	18.266	< 0.001	0.626
	EB → EB_03	0.775	0.053	17.784	< 0.001	0.601
	EB → EB_04	0.750	0.054	17.017	< 0.001	0.563
	EB → EB_05	0.773	0.055	17.699	< 0.001	0.597
	EB → EB_06	0.746	0.056	16.887	< 0.001	0.556
	EB → EB_07	0.766	0.055	17.495	< 0.001	0.587
First order Sociocultural behaviour (SCB)	SCB → SCB_01	0.731	0.000	*	*	0.534
	SCB → SCB_02	0.769	0.073	15.500	< 0.001	0.591
	SCB → SCB_03	0.816	0.067	16.487	< 0.001	0.665
	SCB → SCB_04	0.767	0.069	15.464	< 0.001	0.588
	SCB → SCB_05	0.749	0.072	15.089	< 0.001	0.561
	SCB → SCB_06	0.758	0.067	15.267	< 0.001	0.574
First order Economic behaviour (ECB)	ECB → ECB_01	0.881	0.000	*	*	0.777
	ECB → ECB_02	0.913	0.037	27.393	< 0.001	0.833
	ECB → ECB_03	0.900	0.039	26.676	< 0.001	0.811
	ECB → ECB_04	0.733	0.046	18.345	< 0.001	0.537
Second order Sustainable tourist behaviour (STB)	STB → EB	0.861	0.000	*	*	0.741
	STB → SCB	0.949	0.081	12.826	< 0.001	0.900
	STB → ECB	0.793	0.082	13.837	< 0.001	0.629

Indicator	EB_01	EB_02	EB_03	EB_04	EB_05	EB_06	EB_07	SCB_01	SCB_02	SCB_03	SCB_04	SCB_05	SCB_06	ECB_01	ECB_02	ECB_03	ECB_04
EB_01	1.404	0.834	0.718	0.673	0.781	0.711	0.708	0.667	0.689	0.648	0.683	0.733	0.638	0.589	0.662	0.673	0.532
EB_02	0.602	1.364	0.705	0.561	0.656	0.657	0.647	0.589	0.576	0.578	0.614	0.672	0.623	0.701	0.709	0.757	0.551
EB_03	0.506	0.504	1.437	0.522	0.611	0.579	0.551	0.535	0.433	0.463	0.523	0.647	0.458	0.440	0.513	0.509	0.523
EB_04	0.471	0.399	0.361	1.453	0.635	0.706	0.703	0.627	0.650	0.634	0.648	0.695	0.621	0.544	0.598	0.613	0.551
EB_05	0.575	0.489	0.444	0.459	1.316	0.864	0.884	0.641	0.659	0.701	0.645	0.750	0.706	0.618	0.693	0.652	0.659
EB_06	0.517	0.485	0.416	0.505	0.649	1.347	0.901	0.606	0.691	0.706	0.692	0.793	0.710	0.617	0.702	0.645	0.626
EB_07	0.525	0.487	0.404	0.512	0.677	0.682	1.296	0.596	0.692	0.668	0.660	0.772	0.747	0.643	0.775	0.677	0.550
SCB_01	0.479	0.429	0.380	0.443	0.476	0.444	0.446	1.379	0.910	0.819	0.763	0.741	0.734	0.699	0.690	0.632	0.665
SCB_02	0.463	0.393	0.287	0.429	0.457	0.474	0.484	0.617	1.579	1.018	0.872	0.792	0.804	0.733	0.816	0.842	0.671
SCB_03	0.473	0.428	0.334	0.455	0.529	0.526	0.507	0.603	0.700	1.338	0.878	0.865	0.793	0.687	0.680	0.674	0.742
SCB_04	0.485	0.443	0.367	0.453	0.473	0.502	0.488	0.548	0.584	0.639	1.409	0.884	0.761	0.715	0.745	0.695	0.771
SCB_05	0.495	0.461	0.432	0.462	0.523	0.547	0.543	0.505	0.505	0.599	0.596	1.559	0.826	0.796	0.848	0.759	0.910
SCB_06	0.460	0.456	0.327	0.440	0.526	0.522	0.561	0.534	0.547	0.586	0.548	0.565	1.369	0.760	0.784	0.723	0.764
ECB_01	0.385	0.465	0.285	0.350	0.418	0.412	0.438	0.461	0.452	0.460	0.467	0.494	0.503	1.666	1.131	1.109	1.014
ECB_02	0.449	0.487	0.344	0.399	0.485	0.486	0.547	0.472	0.521	0.472	0.504	0.545	0.538	0.704	1.550	1.164	0.800
ECB_03	0.438	0.500	0.328	0.392	0.439	0.428	0.459	0.415	0.517	0.449	0.451	0.469	0.477	0.662	0.721	1.681	0.752
ECB_04	0.327	0.344	0.318	0.333	0.418	0.393	0.352	0.412	0.389	0.467	0.474	0.531	0.476	0.573	0.468	0.423	1.883

[1] Note:

[TFN01] ^*
Square root of Average Variance Extracted (AVE). Fornell-Larcker= Values are presented at the bottom of the diagonal. Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT)= Values are presented at the top of the diagonal.

[3] Source: Own elaboration.

Sustainable Tourist Behaviour Scale (STBS): A Proposal

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