Industrial tourists' behavioral intention toward slow travel in Taiwan

Taiwan has experienced rapid growth in the last decade, especially in the number of international tourists and domestic leisure travelers it receives. In response to pressures to minimize the negative environmental impacts of such visits (i.e. greenhouse gas emissions) and reshape the notion of sustainable destinations, since 2010 the concept of slow travel has been promoted by governments and the tourism industry. Consequently, calls to expand programs connecting various destinations (e.g. the establishment of industrial tourism) using slower modes of transportation have begun to emerge. In an effort to elucidate the key factors that motivate a traveler's intention to engage in slow travel, this study has constructed a research model that incorporates slow travel's three core elements: the mode of slow travel, tourism experience and environmental consciousness. Particularly, this study has focused on industrial tourists who typically rely on cars to reach destinations that have become new tourism hotspots. The quality of the transportation mode (i.e. a shuttle bus) and the tourism experience were found to be the most powerful determinants of their intentions. This study provides important information to practitioners seeking to market slow travel as a form of sustainable tourism and an alternative to conventional leisure.