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Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal

Consumers environmental behaviour towards staying at a green hotel:


Moderation of green hotel knowledge
Norazah Mohd Suki Norbayah Mohd Suki

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Norazah Mohd Suki Norbayah Mohd Suki , (2015),"Consumers environmental behaviour towards
staying at a green hotel", Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 26 Iss
1 pp. 103 - 117
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Kamal Manaktola, Vinnie Jauhari, (2007),"Exploring consumer attitude and behaviour towards
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Eric S.W. Chan, (2013),"Gap analysis of green hotel marketing", International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 25 Iss 7 pp. 1017-1048 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/
IJCHM-09-2012-0156
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Consumers environmental
behaviour towards staying
at a green hotel

Moderation of
green hotel
knowledge

Moderation of green hotel knowledge

103

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Norazah Mohd Suki


Labuan Faculty of International Finance, Universiti Malaysia Sabah,
Labuan, Malaysia, and

Received 22 February 2014


Revised 4 May 2014
11 June 2014
Accepted 25 July 2014

Norbayah Mohd Suki


Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Universiti Malaysia Sabah,
Labuan, Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between returning consumer
environmental behaviour and tourists propensity to stay in a green hotel, particularly in the Malaysian
context. Next, the influence of a moderating variable (i.e. green hotel knowledge) on returning tourists
propensity to stay in a green hotel is also examined.
Design/methodology/approach The research used a hierarchical regression for data analysis
across a sample of 400 young respondents who stayed at a green hotel at least once in a year. Their
participation was purely voluntary.
Findings Empirical analysis via hierarchical regressions confirmed that returning tourists intention
to stay at a green hotel was influenced positively by perceived behavioural control and attitude.
However, the subjective norm was found to be not significantly related to returning tourists intention
to stay at a green hotel.
Research limitations/implications The current data were only collected from respondents
within one area which may not represent the entire population of Malaysia. Hence, it is imperative that
sample size be expanded, and wider geographical areas with different cultural values covered to
improve generalizability of findings.
Practical implications These empirical results may benefit the hotel industry involved in green
initiatives and activities in formulating effective marketing strategies to review the demand of
returning consumers to stay in green hotels and evaluate the acceptance level of the returning
consumers towards green behaviour. The hotel industry should take its environmental and social
responsibility seriously and uphold aspects of energy efficiency, natural resources and environment
and indoor environmental quality in business operations in a sustainable manner besides focusing on
maximizing profit.
Originality/value The results of this study offer a new forward motion to the findings of prior
studies on environmental behaviour, which is not much covered in the literature in the Malaysian
context by providing additional information in narrowing the research gap with regard to
understanding returning consumers intention to stay in green hotels. Next, the proposed framework
could be the basis for further research investigating returning consumers intention to stay in green
hotels, within the Malaysian context.
Keywords Knowledge, Attitude, Environment, Green hotel, Perceived behavioural control,
Subjective norm
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
Hotels that are nature-oriented, environmentally focused and environment friendly
(i.e. eco-friendly) in use of energy, water, and materials that do not exacerbate impacts

Management of Environmental
Quality: An International Journal
Vol. 26 No. 1, 2015
pp. 103-117
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1477-7835
DOI 10.1108/MEQ-02-2014-0023

MEQ
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104

on the earth and environment (Chen and Peng, 2012; Fryxell and Lo, 2003). Examples
of green hotels in the Asian region include the Orchid Hotel, in India, Banyan Tree
Bangkok in Thailand, Sheraton Incheon Hotel in South Korea, Fairmont
Singapore in Singapore, and La Residence dAngkor Hotel in Cambodia, while Sukau
Rainforest Lodge in Sabah, Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Shangri-Las Tanjung
Aru Resort and Spa in Sabah, and Shangri-Las Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa in
Penang, Malaysia (Asia Green Buildings, 2013). The above-mentioned hotels support
green and ecological practices in protecting the surroundings, and have been
awarded eco-certification standards and environmental management standards such
as ISO 14001.
Environmental management standards and certifications strengthen consumer
confidence in the hotel service delivery and contribute towards its financial and
environmental performance by reducing the environmental impact and improving
management controls (Darnall et al., 2008; King et al., 2005). Additionally, the
certifications improve regulatory compliance, increase market share, enhance potential
for premium pricing within the market segments, improve efficiencies, and reputation
(Harrington and Knight, 1999; Tibor and Feldman, 1996; Woodside, 2000).
Consumers general environmental knowledge influenced young consumer
ecological behaviour in their decision-making process, awareness and acceptance of
green products and services (Norazah, 2013). Customers with green hotel knowledge
are aware that staying in a green hotel is costly but they are willing to pay more for
environmentally friendly products and services (Han et al., 2010; Norazah, 2013). This is
due to their belief that they can contribute to saving the planet and leaving a green
environment for future generations (Lee et al., 2010; Han et al., 2011).
Preceding research by Chen and Peng (2012) was conducted on green hotel
knowledge among Chinese citizens living in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou when
visiting countries in the European Union. Insufficient research studies discuss
returning guest behaviour at green hotels that partake in environmentally friendly
activities and initiatives, particularly in the Malaysian context. Hence, the aim of this
research is to examine:
(1) the relationship between returning consumer environmental behaviour and
returning tourists propensity to stay in a green hotel; and
(2) the influence of a moderating variable (i.e. green hotel knowledge) on returning
tourists propensity to stay in a green hotel.
Empirical results derived from this study fill the gap in the existing body of literature
pertaining to returning consumer green behaviour, offer a new perspective to the
findings of previous studies, and provide the hotel industry with significant
information on the attitudes of returning consumer environmental behaviour and
tourists propensity to stay in a green hotel in the Malaysian context. Bohdanowicz
(2006) pointed out that consumer attitudes and perceptions are important as demand
for green hotel attributes are increasing. Therefore, it is essential for the hotel industry
to understand what returning guests want from a green hotel and are fully aware of
attributes that affect their attitudes and perceptions in order to encourage them to stay
at the hotel and revisit the same hotel.
The structure of this paper starts with the introduction that describes the
background of green hotels, followed by a review of literature in Section 2. The paper
then proceeds to discuss the methodology used in the study to carry out the survey,

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before analysing the resultant data. The final section contains the conclusion, considers
the implications of the study and explicates directions for future research.
2. Literature review
This study is based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) which addresses the
relationships between attitude and behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). According to Ajzen (1991)
intention is predicted by three factors: attitude towards the behaviour, perception of
social pressure to perform the behaviour (subjective norms), and control over
performance of the behaviour (perceived behavioural control). Consumers behaviour
when staying at a green hotel differs from others in terms of their attitude, subjective
norm, perceived behaviour control, and intention.
2.1 Attitude
Attitude is related to an individuals like or dislike of performing a behaviour (Tonglet
et al., 2004), and the individuals overall evaluation of a specific behaviour (Han et al.,
2010). Customers have positive attitudes towards the protection of the environment
(Watkins, 1994). The green attitude of tourists is influenced by green practices
implemented by tourism businesses, such as practices of the lodging industry
(Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). The consumers decision to return to a hotel is due to the
positive feeling they experience, and the instant gratification for doing something good
for the environment (Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). Foregoing research noted that hotel
customers environmentally friendly attitudes positively affect their intention to stay at
a green hotel, spread positive word-of-mouth commendation and willingly pay more for
hotels involved in green practices (Chen and Peng, 2012; Choi et al., 2009; Han et al.,
2009, 2011; Han and Kim, 2010; Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). Attitude towards a
hotels environmental concern influences tourists future intentions (Chen et al., 2011;
Jirawat et al., 2011). Based on the preceding literature, the following can be hypothesized:
H1. Attitude has a significant relationship with the returning tourists intention to
stay in a green hotel.
2.2 Subjective norm
Subjective norm is related to awareness of social pressure affecting an individuals
behavioural intention and attitude (Han and Kim, 2010; Kim and Han, 2010; Tonglet
et al., 2004; Ajzen, 1991). It is an individuals beliefs affected by other people such as
family members and friends who think that an individual should or should not perform
a particular behaviour (Rivis and Sheeran, 2003). Ryu and Jang (2006) found that
subjective norms are positively associated with a persons attitude to certain types of
behaviour. Empirically, there is a relationship between the subjective norms and
tourists attitudes towards a green hotel (Teng et al., 2013). Indeed, subjective norms
play an important part in an individuals decision to stay in a green hotel (Han et al.,
2010; Lien et al., 2012) and positively influence their intention to revisit a green hotel
(Chen and Peng, 2012; Han and Kim, 2010). Consequently, the study posited that:
H2. Subjective norms have a significant relationship with the returning tourists
intention to stay in a green hotel.
2.3 Perceived behavioural control
Perceived behavioural control reflects beliefs regarding the access to resources and
opportunities needed to perform behaviour that encompasses: the availability of

Moderation of
green hotel
knowledge
105

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106

resources needed to engage in the behaviour that include access to money, time, and
other resources; and the focal persons self-confidence in the ability to conduct the
behaviour (Ajzen, 1991; Taylor and Todd, 1995). Perceived behavioural control also
refers to ones own capability to control various factors affecting actual behaviour
(Han and Kim, 2010; Kim and Han, 2010; Tonglet et al., 2004). Preceding research found
that perceived behavioural control predicts ones behavioural intention (Ajzen, 1991).
Lee et al. (2010) affirms that behavioural intention is a crucial factor that explains
customer behaviours because strong intention is likely to encourage performance.
In relation to this study, guest behaviour at green hotels is determined by the
resources they are willing to spend on staying in a green hotel. Perceived behavioural
control was found to significantly influence consumers behavioural intention to stay in
a green hotel (Chen and Peng, 2012; Lien et al., 2012). Accordingly, this study
hypothesized that:
H3. Perceived behavioural control has a significant relationship with the returning
tourists intention to stay in a green hotel.
2.4 Consumer intention
Intention is related to ones relative strength of purpose in order to perform certain
behaviour (Kim and Han, 2010). Consumer behaviour refers to how individuals
make decisions to spend their available resources (time, money, and effort) on
consumption-related items (Schiffman et al., 2010), particularly how they select,
purchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs
and desires (Solomon et al., 2012). In this study, intention refers to ones intention to
repeat a stay in a green hotel. This corresponds to elements such as: intentions to
spread positive or negative word-of-mouth commendation of the green hotel;
willingness or unwillingness to pay a premium price for the green hotel room; and
intention to revisit or switch to another hotel, resort or green hotel. Han et al. (2009)
highlighted staying intentions as the likelihood of the hotel consumers visiting a green
hotel, to engage in positive word-of-mouth behaviour, and be willing to pay more for
the green hotel. Indeed, Chen and Peng (2012), Han et al. (2010), and Lee et al. (2010)
reported that consumers attitude towards green behaviour was a significant
predictor of their intention to make positive recommendations and intention to revisit
a green hotel.
2.5 Green hotel knowledge
Green hotel knowledge is related to consumers information about the hotel that
supports green and ecological practices in protecting the surrounding in their business
operation (Chen and Peng, 2012; Fryxell and Lo, 2003). This knowledge has an impact
on consumers staying behaviour and intention to revisit the hotel. Returning tourists
intention to revisit a green hotel is due to the positive feeling they experienced, and the
instant gratification for doing something good for the environment (Manaktola and
Jauhari, 2007). Lee et al. (2010) and Norazah (2013) noted that a green hotels overall
image influences consumers intention to make positive recommendations and the
intention to revisit the hotel. The following hypothesis is hence developed:
H4. Green hotel knowledge moderates the relationships between returning
consumer environmental behaviour and returning tourists intention to stay
in a green hotel.

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Based on the above-mentioned literature, the proposed theoretical framework is


illustrated in Figure 1 where it symbolizes a path analysis methodology for explaining
associations between the various structures.
3. Methodology
3.1 Participants and procedure
Questionnaires were distributed to 450 respondents located in Malaysia utilizing
convenience sampling technique as the method allows the researcher to control the
representativeness of the sample. Respondents were pre-screened and restricted to
Labuan residents who had experience staying at a green hotel at least once a year. Data
collection were held from 1 March to 31 March 2013 and they were required to circle the
response which best described their level of agreement with each of the questionnaire
items. Of these, 400 responses were deemed useful and used in the data analysis with a
valid response rate of 89 per cent. Their participation was voluntary and thus leads to
no response bias.

Moderation of
green hotel
knowledge
107

3.2 Questionnaire development and instrument


The structured close-ended questionnaire was designed on the basis of the objectives of
this study. The rst part of the three-section questionnaire contained general
demographic questions, relating to such matters as gender and age, while the second
part comprised questions about the respondents experiences staying at a green hotel.
The final part of the questionnaire contained questions on perception of staying at a
green hotel (see Table III) which comprised three items for each construct that suit the
context of the current research (i.e. green hotel knowledge, attitude, subjective norm,
perceived behaviour control, and intention) and requires the respondents to rate their
degree of agreement with the propositions in the survey. This instrument was adopted
from Han et al. (2010) and Chen et al. (2011) while questions on green hotel knowledge
were adapted from Wong and Yeh (2009) and measured on a five-point Likert scale
ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) using multi-item scales.
3.3 Data analysis
The completed and structured close-ended questionnaires were coded and keyed in
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer program version 21 and
descriptive analysis such as means, standard deviation, and correlation analysis were
performed. Next, further investigation using hierarchical regression analysis was
executed to assess the relationship between a set of independent variables and the
dependent variable, controlling the impact of a different set of independent variables
(i.e. attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control) on the dependent
H1
Returning Tourist
Intention to Stay in
a Green Hotel

Attitude
H2
H3
Subjective
Norm

Perceived
Behavioural Control

Green Hotel
Knowledge

Figure 1.
Proposed theoretical
framework

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108

variable (i.e. tourists intention to stay in a green hotel), which thereafter could furnish
empirical findings in supporting the outlined research objectives.
4. Results
4.1 Socio-demographic profile of respondents
Table I depicts the respondents socio-demographic profile. Female respondents made
up 56 per cent of the sample while males made up 44 per cent. Females can be regarded
as part of a growing group of consumers in Malaysia. In terms of religion and age,
more than three-quarter of the respondents, i.e. 76 per cent are Muslim and 85 per cent
are aged less than 25 years, and about 14 per cent are aged 26-35 years. The majority of
respondents (70 per cent) specified that they had stayed at a green hotel only once a
year. This was followed by 21 per cent of them who had stayed at a green hotel two to
three times a year, while the remaining 9 per cent had stayed at a green hotel more than
four times a year. Half of the respondents (50 per cent) indicated a preference for green
hotels geared towards an eco-friendly environment as all green hotels are expected to
be eco-friendly despite the design, the ambiance, and the comfortable surroundings.
Respondents also preferred green hotels with modern design as compared to hotels
with traditional design (39 and 10 per cent, respectively). In all, 5 per cent of the
respondents spent more than Malaysian Ringgit 300 per night for a room at a green
hotel as environment was the vital reason that influenced their stay at a green hotel,
followed by factors such as price and brand.

Variables

Categories

Gender
Age (years)
Religion
Frequency of stay at green hotel per year

Room rates at a green hotel

Preferred green hotel design

Factor influenced staying at green hotel


Table I.
Socio-demographic
profiles of
respondents

Note: RM, Malaysian ringgit

Frequency

Male
Female

198
252

44.0
56.0

o25
26-35
W36
Muslim
Non-Muslim
Once
2-3 times
4-5 times
W6 times
oRM200
RM200-RM250
RM251-RM300
WRM300
Modern
Eco-friendly
Traditional
Others
Brand
Price
Environment
Entertainment

381
65
4
341
109
306
96
22
26
281
126
22
21
176
224
44
6
35
169
227
19

84.7
14.4
0.9
75.8
24.2
68.0
21.3
4.9
5.8
62.4
28.0
4.9
4.7
39.1
49.8
9.8
1.3
7.8
37.6
50.4
4.2

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4.2 Reliability analysis


The internal consistency of the constructs was measured via Cronbachs coefficient in
order to determine whether a group of items consistently reflected the construct it was
measuring (Field, 2009). Cronbachs coefficient above the threshold value of 0.70 is
considered to be high in validity (Hair et al., 2010; Nunnally, 1978). Item deletion is
required if the Cronbachs coefficient is less than 0.70. The reading of Cronbachs
for all the variables as described in Table II exceeds the criterion of 0.70, indicating the
survey instrument is reliable to measure all constructs consistently and is free from
random error.

Moderation of
green hotel
knowledge
109

4.3 Descriptive statistics on environmental behaviour of returning consumers at


green hotels
The descriptive statistics on environmental behaviour of returning consumers at green
hotels is presented in Table III. The multi-item statements are designed on a five-point
Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Respondents
expressed favourable opinions on environmental behaviour at green hotels as they
stated that staying at a green hotel when visiting other countries is positive

Variables
Green hotel knowledge
Attitude
Subjective norm
Perceived behavioural control
Intention

No. of Items

Cronbachs

3
3
3
3
3

0.943
0.825
0.892
0.836
0.899

Items
Compared to an average person, I am familiar with hotels environmental
policies
Compared to my friends, I am familiar with hotels green programmes
Compared to people who travel a lot, I am familiar with hotels green labels
For me, staying at a green hotel when visiting other countries is good
For me, staying at a green hotel when visiting other countries is desirable
For me, staying at a green hotel when visiting other countries is positive
Most people who are important to me think I should stay at a green hotel when
touring
Most people who are important to me would want me to stay at a green hotel
when touring
People whose opinions I value would prefer that I stay at a green hotel when
touring
Whether or not I stay at a green hotel when going for tourism activities is
under my control
I am confident that if I want, I can stay at a green hotel when touring
I have resources, time, and opportunities to stay at a green hotel when touring
I am willing to stay at a green hotel when touring
I plan to stay at a green hotel when touring
I will make an effort to stay at a green hotel when touring

Labels Means

KNO1
KNO2
KNO3
ATT1
ATT2
ATT3

3.360
3.282
3.320
3.731
3.753
3.869

Table II.
Reliability analysis

SD

0.806
0.879
0.868
0.716
0.680
0.592

SUBN1 3.167 0.853


SUBN2 3.151 0.761
SUBN3 3.187 0.807
PBC1
PBC2
PBC3
INT1
INT2
INT3

3.491
3.607
3.536
3.549
3.584
3.573

0.834
0.766
0.812
0.683
0.754
0.752

Table III.
Environmental
behaviour of
consumers at
green hotels

MEQ
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110

(mean 3.869), besides staying at a green hotel when visiting other countries is
desirable (mean 3.753). This is trailed by the statement staying at a green hotel
when visiting other countries is good with mean 3.731. Empirical evidence has also
ascertained that returning customers are confident that they can stay at a green hotel
when touring (mean 3.607) and they plan to stay at a green hotel when going on
holiday (mean 3.584). Thus, it can be deduced that respondents exhibit positive
environmental behaviour at green hotels.

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4.4 Correlation analysis


Pearson correlation coefficient was performed to measure the inter-correlation between
variables (see Table IV). Correlation coefficient (r) value of 1 indicates a negative
correlation and +1 indicates a positive correlation (Pallant, 2007; Tabachnick and
Fidell, 2007). The multi-items for a construct were computed to produce an average
score which was used in correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis.
Table IV shows that all variables significantly correlated with tourists intentions at
0.01 level. Among the independent variables (i.e. attitude, subjective norm, and
perceived behavioural control), perceived behavioural control has the strongest
correlation coefficient value with tourists intention (r 0.577) and infers that tourists
intention is reliant on their perceived behavioural control. On the other hand, attitude
(r 0.316), and subjective norm (r 0.133) also show significant results. Attitude and
subjective norm play an important role in the intention of tourists towards green hotel.
The skewness of all the items ranges from 0.438 to 0.212, below 2.0. Similarly, the
values for kurtosis range from 0.452 to 0.198, far less than the cut-off value of 10.
Both the skewness and kurtosis are lower than the said value, thus ensuring that the
data used in the study is normally distributed. Means for all constructs, as depicted in
Table IV range from 3.168 to 3.784 on a scale of 1 strongly disagree to 5 strongly
agree which infer that most of the respondents had positive intentions and behaviour
towards green hotels. Highest means appear for the attitude construct. Descriptive
evidence in Table III demonstrates that respondents articulated positive thoughts on
staying at a green hotel, and the experience was desirable and good.
4.5 Relationships with returning tourists intentions and moderation of green hotel
knowledge
Proposed hypotheses are tested via hierarchical regression analysis as it allows
examination of the effects of the moderating variable and the independent variables
1

Table IV.
Correlation analysis
among variables

Green hotel knowledge


1.000
Attitude
0.549**
Subjective norm
0.229**
Perceived behavioural control
0.331**
Intention
0.447**
Mean
3.321
SD
0.807
Skewness
0.175
Kurtosis
0.315
Note: **Significant at the 0.01 level (two-tailed)

1.000
0.198**
0.202**
0.316**
3.784
0.572
0.046
0.198

1.000
0.027
0.133**
3.168
0.732
0.438
0.452

1.000
0.577**
3.544
0.698
0.212
0.260

1.000
3.569
0.667
0.052
0.158

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separately. Moderating variable is a moderator that can strengthen or weaken the


relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. In this study,
green hotel knowledge is the moderating variable. Results enumerated in Table V infer
that all the independent variables have variance inflation factor (VIF) values ranging
from 1.000 to 1.581 which is less than the cut-off point of 10, and tolerance values
ranging from 0.632 to 1.000 which is above the threshold of 0.10, thus ensuring that
multicollinearity is absent. In Step 1, the independent variables (i.e. attitude, subjective
norm, and perceived behavioural control) were entered. R2 provides information about
the level of fit of the regression model and elucidates the percent of variance in
returning tourists intention to stay at a green hotel that can be accounted for by all the
predictors. In Step 2 of the hierarchical regression analysis, green hotel knowledge was
entered and allowed the examination of any increase in explained variance to determine
the effect on returning tourists intention of staying at a green hotel.
The results of the estimated coefficients for Model 1 as detailed in Table V show that
both attitude ( 1 0.082, t-value 1.988, p o 0.10) and perceived behavioural control
( 3 0.482, t-value 2.524, p o 0.05) signicantly influence the returning tourists
intention to stay at a green hotel. Therefore, H1 and H3 are reinforced. The second has
the biggest standardized coefficient, signifying it is the most important factor claimed
by the respondents to influence their intention to stay at a green hotel. However,
subjective norm ( 2 0.051, p W 0.05) has an insignicant relationship with tourists
intention to stay at a green hotel, thus H2 is not sustained. Further investigation on the
moderating effect of green hotel knowledge establishes that green hotel knowledge
does affect returning tourists intention to stay at a green hotel ( p o 0.05). Thus, H4 is
maintained. The percentage of variance accounted for increased from 20 to 41 per cent
in the model with the addition of green hotel knowledge in Model 2.
Figure 2 exhibits the normal probability plot ( P-P) while Figure 3 illustrates the
scatter plot of the model where no major deviations from norms exist, with most of the
scores rectangularly distributed in the centre.

Moderation of
green hotel
knowledge
111

5. Discussion
This research examined the relationship between returning consumer environmental
behaviour and returning tourists propensity to stay in a green hotel, particularly in the
Malaysian context. Next, the influence of a moderating variable (i.e. green hotel
knowledge) on returning tourists propensity to stay in a green hotel was also
examined. Empirical results of hierarchical regression analysis discovered that out of
three hypotheses investigated, two hypotheses were supported where returning
tourists intention to stay at a green hotel was effected positively by factors such as
attitude and perceived behavioural control.

Model 1

Green hotel knowledge


Attitude
Subjective norm
Perceived behavioural control
Model 2 Green hotel knowledge
Notes: *p o 0.05; **p o0.10

Standardized
coefficients

Sig.

0.230*
0.082**
0.051
0.482*
0.447*

5.049
1.988
1.364
2.524
10.572

0.000
0.060
0.173
0.000
0.000

Collinearity statistics
Tolerance
VIF
0.632
0.693
0.937
0.887
1.000

1.581
1.444
1.067
1.127
1.000

Table V.
Relationships with
the tourists intention
to stay at a green
hotel

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Normal P-P Plot of Regression Standardized Residual


Dependent Variable: Intention
1.0

0.8
Expected Cum Prob

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0

Figure 2.
Normal P-P plot

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Observed Cum Prob

Scatterplot
Dependent Variable: Intention
3
Regression Standardized Residual

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112

Figure 3.
Scatter plot

2
1
0
1
2
Regression Standardized Predicted Value

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The empirical results found that attitude (1 0.082, t-value 1.988, p o 0.10) has
significant influence on returning tourists intention to stay at a green hotel, inferring
H1 is persistent. Returning tourists with higher knowledge intend to stay at green
hotels when they have positive attitudes towards green hotels such as the green
hotels are desirable and good for the environment. They will also make an effort to stay
at a green hotel when they are touring. This finding is comparable with that of prior
studies (Chen and Peng, 2012; Chen et al., 2011; Choi et al., 2009; Han et al., 2011; Jirawat
et al., 2011) which found that hotel customers environmental attitudes positively affect
their intention to stay at a green hotel, their intention to talk about their experience
and willingness to pay more for the hotels practicing green activities and initiatives.
Consumers concerned about the environment and its degradation show great interest
in the fortification of the environment (Juwaheer et al., 2012).
With regards to subjective norms have a significant relationship with the returning
tourists intention to stay in a green hotel, results revealed insignificant relationship
( 2 0.051, p W 0.05), implying H2 is not reinforced. The present survey findings
showed that returning tourists who do not see themselves as having sufficient green
knowledge rely minimally on the recommendations of others like friends and family
members (i.e. subjective norms) in determining their stay at green hotels. Results infer
that social pressure does not affect an individuals intention and decision to stay at a
green hotel and such pressure is perceived as an important influence on attitude and
behaviour. This is not consistent with earlier findings (Chen and Peng, 2012; Han et al.,
2010; Lien et al., 2012) which were significant at p o 0.05. At the decision point, most
people who are important to them and whose opinions they value would want them to
stay at a green hotel when touring.
Further examination of the study uncovered that perceived behavioural control is
the most influential factor that affects returning tourists intention to stay at a green
hotel with standardized coefficients of 0.482, t-value of 2.524 at p o 0.05), denoting H3
is held by the data. In a similar vein, this result aligns with Chen and Peng (2012), and
Lien et al.s (2012) findings. This study confirmed that consumers intentions are
dependent on the width of their access to resources, time, and opportunities to stay at a
green hotel. This means they control innumerable factors such as time, money, and
effort which affect their actual environmental behaviour and intention to stay in a
green hotel. Descriptive findings in Table I are the evidence of these results where
consumers are willing to spend more than Malaysian Ringgit 300 per night for a room
at a green hotel and prefer a green hotel geared towards eco-friendly design and an
environment with modern design.
Moreover, in terms of the effect of a moderating variable (i.e. green hotel knowledge)
on returning tourists propensity to stay in a green hotel, empirical results revealed that
green hotel knowledge does affect returning tourists intention to stay at a green hotel
(4 0.447, t-value 10.572, p o 0.05), as a result accepting H4. Results deduced that
the intention of returning tourists with higher knowledge to stay at green hotels is
impacted by their attitude and perceived behavioural control. This is in agreement with
Chen and Peng (2012), Lee et al. (2010), and Norazahs (2013) findings.
6. Conclusion and recommendations
The results of this study offer a new perception of the findings of earlier studies that
could be of interest to researchers and practitioners in understanding the factors
that influence returning consumers intention to stay in green hotels, particularly in the
Malaysian context. Empirical analysis of hierarchical regressions confirms that green

Moderation of
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114

hotel knowledge is able to moderate the relationship between returning consumer


attitude and perceived behavioural control with returning tourists propensity to stay
in a green hotel. Green hotels offers characteristics such as natural accommodation
and facilities with consideration for green initiatives including green services, green
products, and a fine, fresh and comfortable environment (Chen and Peng, 2012; Fryxell
and Lo, 2003).
In terms of implication of the current study to practitioners, empirical results would
benefit the hotel management involved in green initiatives and activities in formulating
effective marketing strategies to review the demand of returning consumers to stay in
green hotels and evaluate the acceptance level of the returning consumers towards
green behaviour, particularly in the Malaysian context since this research found that
returning tourists intention to stay at a green hotel is influenced by their positive
attitude and perceived behavioural control aspects. For example, Table I specified that
returning consumers preference for green hotels geared towards an eco-friendly
environment including the modern design and ambiance, as well as the comfortable
surroundings, which motivated them to stay for more than four times a year. Hence,
the hoteliers should educate the potential returning guests on the effort they make in
showing high levels of responsibility towards green, environmentally friendly
practices.
Furthermore, hotel management should also make use of technology to improve the
awareness of hotel environmental performance and initiatives through social
networking media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. Next, the hotel management
should take its environmental and social responsibility seriously and maintain aspects
of energy efficiency, natural resources and environment and indoor environmental
quality in business operation in a sustainable manner besides focusing on maximizing
profit. It is highly regarded that hotel management should continuously control
consumption of non-renewable energy, excessive water use, and the generation of
waste in operating business activities and make their operations more sustainable
which could also contribute to the growth of the tourism industry in Malaysia. Table I
exposed that environment was the vibrant reason that impacted returning consumers
stay at a green hotel, trailed by factors such as price and brand.
Indeed, the empirical findings also offer academic contributions to the existing body
of knowledge of returning consumer environmental behaviour, particularly in the
Malaysian context, by providing additional information to narrow the research gap
with regard to understanding returning consumers intention to stay in green
hotels. Next, the proposed framework could be the basis for further research
investigating returning consumers intention to stay in green hotels. Moreover, the
quantitative data analyses used will eventually allow future researchers to explicate
the contribution of the current study to understanding repeat consumers intention
to stay in green hotels.
However, R2 for the study is o 0.50, and connotes that there are still other
contributing issues and factors that can be explored for further investigation such as
motivation and culture. The current data were only collected from the respondents
within one area which may not represent the entire population of Malaysia. Hence, it is
imperative that sample size be expanded, and cover wider geographical areas with
different cultural values to improve generalizability of findings. Besides, the research
targeted people who had already chosen to stay in a green hotel. This in itself might be
an indication of the guests affinity to environmental concern. It is recommended
for future research to address the issue of how individuals who have never visited a

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green hotel respond. Next, results can be tested via structural equation modelling with
the presence of mediating and moderating variables to ensure model consistency with
the data and to estimate influences among constructs instantaneously.
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Further reading
Cegarra-Navarro, J.G., Eldridge, S. and Martinez, A.M. (2010), Managing environmental
knowledge through learning processes in Spanish hospitality companies, The Spanish
Journal of Psychology, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 827-840.
About the authors
Dr Norazah Mohd Suki is an Associate Professor at the Labuan Faculty of International Finance,
Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Labuan International Campus, Malaysia. She has successfully
supervised several postgraduate students at Master and PhD level. Her research interests include
electronic marketing, E-commerce, M-commerce, consumer behaviour, mobile learning and areas
related to marketing. She actively publishes articles in international journals. She is the Editor-inChief to Labuan e-Journal of Muamalat & Society, a Member in Advisory Board for several
outstanding journals. She has sound experiences as speaker to public and private universities,
government bodies on courses related to structural equation modelling (SEM), Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), research methodology. Dr Norazah Mohd Suki is the
corresponding author and can be contacted at: azahsuki@yahoo.com
Dr Norbayah Mohd Suki is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Computing and Informatics,
Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Her research interests include film, animation, creative multimedia,
mobile learning, ICT, human computer interaction, and educational technology. She actively
publishes articles in international journals. She has sound experiences as multimedia specialist.

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