The Action-Attitude Gap to Pro-environmental Sustainability inNature-Based Destinations

Tourist destinations relying on their natural environment are experiencing a growing demand for sustainability, which underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding of tourists' perceptions of environmental practices. Although the environment is a key attraction, research on sustainable tourism development for nature-based tourism destinations is limited, highlighting theoretical and practical gaps in the existing literature. Phuket Island in Thailand was chosen as a study site, and more than fifteen hours of transcribed interview data were used to empirically investigate the action-attitude gap amongst international tourists as a barrier to sustainable tourism development. The findings reveal a substantial discrepancy between the tourists’ self-reported high awareness of sustainable practices and their lack of evident behaviours supporting these principles. The paper discusses theoretical implications for tourism researchers and provides practical insights for policymakers and businesses.