Towards green hospitality: exploring the consumer perceived value of pro-environmental star-graded accommodation

Purpose This paper explores the effect of pro-environmental measures and green behaviour of star-graded accommodation establishments on the consumer perceived value that domestic tourists associate with them. From our study’s perspective, value creation via green hospitality may promote more responsible and environmentally friendly consumptive behaviour amongst domestic tourists. Design/methodology/approach Designed as a cross-sectional deductive study, data were generated from an online panel sample of 440 South African domestic tourists. The hypotheses were tested using SmartPLS 4 via partial least squares–structural equation modelling. Further, multi-group analysis assessed and exposed gender-based differences. Findings The findings imply that green hospitality positively influences the value perceptions of tourists. More in-depth analyses indicate gender-based heterogeneity in the effect of green hospitality aspects on consumer perceived values. Our findings establish pro-environmentalism within the accommodation sector as an approach to initiating pro-environmental behaviour change through value creation. Originality/value Our study extends the theory around pro-environmental behaviour and provides empirical evidence from domestic tourists as an under-researched population within the debate around tourism sustainability and green hospitality. The study sheds new light on the importance of supply-side green interventions in tourist behaviour and highlights the potential influence of gender differences. It explores this in the context of an emerging tourism destination in the Global South.