Influence of responsible tourism practices on the destination perceptions of tourists

Abstract Tourism destination development and visitor satisfaction are significantly enhanced by responsible tourism practices. Responsible tourism should be taken into consideration as a policy choice being a strategic marketing tool improving destination quality and tourist satisfaction. This study is an effort to comprehend how responsible tourism practices affect visitor satisfaction, re‐visit intention, and word‐of‐mouth. The study also took into account how visitors' awareness of responsible tourism mediated their satisfaction with their experiences while visiting the area. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed model from the data gathered from 548 tourists. Results revealed that responsible tourism practices significantly improved visitor satisfaction, followed by increased likelihood of returning and favorable word‐of‐mouth recommendations.