Decoding green hotels visiting intention: the roles of personal values, perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived greenwash fear

Purpose This study aims to explore the nexus between personal values, perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived greenwash fear in predicting green hotel visiting intention. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative survey approach to collect data on tourists from different tourist destinations in Pakistan. The data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling. Findings The study’s findings revealed that resultant self-transcendence (RST) and resultant conservation (RC) have positive impact on customers’ attitudes toward visiting green hotels. Environmental concern and perceived consumer effectiveness have positive influences on attitude. The results confirm that attitude mediates between environmental concern and intention, and between perceived consumer effectiveness and intention. In addition, perceived greenwash fear weakens the relationship between personal values (RC and RST) and attitude toward visiting green hotels. Practical implications The findings of this research offer useful insights to hotels manager to promote environmental initiatives. Green initiatives contribute to hotels’ green ambiance that minimize greenwash, and attract environmentally conscious customers. Originality/value This study proposed a novel personal values framework by integrating environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived greenwash fear to predict customers’ green hotel visiting intentions.