Promoting Sustainable Consumption in Tourism: Determinants of Food Waste Reduction Intention and the Moderating Role of Education Level

ABSTRACT In tourism, advancing sustainable consumption and production requires understanding the psychological factors influencing tourists' food waste behaviors. This study investigated the psychological drivers of such behaviors and the moderating role of education level to provide insights that can help facilitate the achievement of SDG 12.3 targets. Data collected from 653 domestic and international tourists in Bangkok, Thailand were analyzed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling. Results revealed that several factors, namely, consumer awareness, subjective norms, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and environmental concern, significantly influenced intention to reduce food waste, which in turn had a negative effect on tourists' food waste behaviors. Meanwhile, multigroup analysis showed that the impact of environmental concern was moderated by education level, with the effect being significantly higher for highly educated tourists. In comparison, education level did not moderate the other pathways. Overall, the findings demonstrate that sustainable consumption in tourism requires dual strategies comprising broad structural interventions facilitating responsible choices across tourist segments on the one hand and targeted messaging that leverages how different educational segments process environmental information on the other hand. This study contributes to the tourism sustainability literature by demonstrating that psychological elements are differentially effective for tourists with various education levels in the context of hedonistic holidays, offering insights for advancing SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) in the tourism sector.