Extending value-belief-norm theory in green hotel marketing: the role of sustainability claims, eco-guilt, and pride in shaping visit intentions and price premium willingness

This literature review synthesizes recent scholarship (2018–2026) on green hotel marketing and consumer behavior to establish the theoretical foundation for extending Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory. The review examines five interconnected domains: (1) green hotel visit intentions and willingness to pay price premiums, (2) applications and limitations of VBN theory in tourism contexts, (3) the role of eco-guilt in pro-environmental behaviors, (4) green pride and its authentic versus hubristic dimensions in sustainable consumption, and (5) hotel sustainability claims and their effects on consumer trust and responses. The synthesis reveals that while VBN theory has been successfully integrated with other frameworks to predict green hotel patronage, significant gaps remain in understanding the emotional mechanisms, particularly anticipated eco-guilt and differentiated forms of pride, that mediate between sustainability communications and behavioral outcomes. Current research demonstrates that sustainability claims, certifications, and message characteristics significantly influence consumer trust and willingness to pay, yet the psychological pathways through which these communications activate moral emotions remain underexplored. Conceptually, the review extends VBN by integrating anticipated eco-guilt and differentiated forms of green pride into the VBN pathway and by explicitly modelling how hotel sustainability claims trigger these moral emotions to shape visit intentions and price premium willingness.