Sustainability under pressure: green mindfulness as a response to tourism's current challenges

Purpose Tourism growth in emerging economies such as Vietnam has intensified environmental pressures, raising questions about how to promote sustainable consumer behavior. This study investigates green mindfulness as a psychological mechanism linking individual, organizational and contextual antecedents to sustainable behavior in the tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from 412 tourists in Vietnam were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test a multi-level framework incorporating mediation and moderation to assess how antecedents influence sustainable consumer behavior through green mindfulness. Findings Environmental values, ethical self-identity, spiritual well-being and environmental knowledge increased green mindfulness, whereas habit strength reduced it. Organizational leadership, responsibility and incentive systems, along with contextual cues such as biophilic design, social norms and eco-label credibility, also enhanced mindfulness, with eco-labels showing the strongest effect. Green mindfulness significantly mediated the influence of antecedents on sustainable behavior, with its effects moderated by mindfulness training, demographics and cultural orientation. Research limitations/implications Findings provide culturally grounded insights for emerging economies but should be generalized cautiously to Western contexts. Future studies could incorporate behavioral or experimental data and evaluate digital mindfulness tools in tourism settings. Practical implications Tourism managers can foster sustainable behavior through mindfulness-based visitor experiences, sustainability-oriented leadership development and transparent eco-labeling integrated into digital booking platforms. Originality/value This study extends the value–belief–norm framework, leadership theory and environmental psychology by validating green mindfulness as a key mediating mechanism in an emerging economy context, offering theoretical, cultural and managerial contributions to sustainable tourism research.