Scepticism as a moderator in shaping tourists’ intentions to adopt sustainable tourism: an extended theory of planned behaviour approach

Purpose This study employed the “Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)” to advance understanding of the factors impacting tourists' intention to adopt sustainable tourism (IST). The study integrated the “TPB model” with crucial additional factors: Destination Image (DEI), Luxury Belief (LB), Sustainable Intelligence (SIN) and Pro-Environmental Behaviour (PEB) with Scepticism (SC) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach Structural Equation Modelling was applied to test the suggested framework. A self-administered structured questionnaire was given to 425 Indian tourists who were aged 18 or above and had knowledge of sustainable tourism. The research adopted convenience sampling to choose participants. Findings The outcomes demonstrated that Attitude (ATT), Subjective Norms (SN), Perceived Behaviour Control (PBC), DEI, SIN and PEB had a favourable and significant effect, whereas LB had an adverse and significant effect on IST. The findings also demonstrated that Scepticism acted as a negative moderator between ATT and IST. Practical implications These outcomes emphasise the relevance of promoting sustainability awareness among tourists to encourage responsible travel choices. The investigation also emphasises the need for tourism operators and policymakers to deal with negative perceptions surrounding sustainable tourism through transparent sustainability initiatives. Originality/value A particularly distinctive contribution of this study lies in uncovering inhibitors to sustainability adoption. This aspect is often overlooked in prior TPB extensions. By recognising that constructs like LB and scepticism can act as psychological and ideological barriers rather than enablers. The study offers a more balanced understanding of sustainability adoption by capturing both the drivers and constraints that shape tourists' behavioural intentions with these inclusions.