From awareness to action: Understanding the role of economic costs and perceived convenience in tourist mobility decisions

This study investigates tourists’ adoption of sustainable mobility by integrating behavioral theories with open-innovation dynamics. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Expectancy–Value Theory (EVT), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research examines how economic cost (ECI), awareness of sustainable options (ASO), individual sustainability values (ISV), and perceived convenience (PC) shape the tourist adoption of sustainable mobility (TASM). Survey data from 466 respondents were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Results reveal that economic cost positively influences perceived convenience (β = 0.632, p < 0.001), suggesting that price can act as a signal of reliability. Awareness slightly enhances convenience (β = 0.079, p = 0.032), whereas sustainability values reduce convenience (β = -0.172, p < 0.001) but strongly and directly foster adoption (β = 0.814, p < 0.001). Perceived convenience predicts adoption (β = 0.091, p = 0.013) and mediates the cost–adoption link (indirect β = 0.058, p = 0.013). Moreover, economic cost moderates the values–adoption relationship (β = 0.094, p < 0.001), weakening value effects when costs are high. The model explains significant variance (R²_PC = 0.411; R²_TASM = 0.646). Theoretically, this research reconceptualizes cost, convenience, and values as context-dependent constructs shaped by open-innovation ecosystems, including bounded rationality, open social innovation, and platform orchestration. Practically, the findings inform strategies for convenience-first design, inclusive pricing, and interoperable platforms to scale sustainable mobility in tourism.