Sustainable clicks: exploring Gen Z’s e-commerce engagement and value perceptions for sustainable tourism

Sustainable tourism and e-commerce have emerged as key drivers of environmentally responsible travel behavior, particularly among digitally native Generation Z consumers. This study aims to examine how psychological and value-based factors shape Generation Z's behavioral intentions and influence their engagement with sustainable tourism on e-commerce platforms. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior and Holbrook’s Typology of Consumer Value, an integrated model was developed to capture rational determinants and experiential elements such as ethics, aesthetics, and play. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), we analyzed data from 385 Gen Z respondents in Bangladesh and found that the model explains 50.2% of the variance in behavioral intention (R² = 0.502). The results show that perceived behavioral control and subjective norms significantly influence sustainable tourism intentions, while attitude does not. Play value enhances perceived control, whereas ethical and aesthetic values positively affect attitudes and intentions. This study advances behavioral theory by combining value-driven motivations with the Theory of Planned Behavior, providing new insights into how ethical, aesthetic, and play values influence Generation Z's sustainable tourism behavior on e-commerce platforms, as well as actionable advice for platform designers and policymakers.