Strategies of developing alternative (floating river) tourism for encouraging the reduction of ecological footprint and boosting local economics: investigating tourists’ willingness to pay more for floating river tourism in Bangladesh

Purpose The main purpose of this study is to develop alternative tourism (i.e. floating river tourism) destinations through investigating coastal tourists’ willingness to pay more for floating river tourism in Bangladesh with the aim of reducing ecological footprints and boosting local economies. Design/methodology/approach This research comprises three studies (study-1/exploratory research, study-2/pilot study, study-3/main study). Study-1 is conducted based on collecting 386 useable responses to explore factors that could be the drivers for influencing coastal tourist willingness to pay more for floating river tourism. Study-2 is conducted to generate the structured measurement items based on the collection of 405 useable responses, and the subsequent data is undergone by exploratory factor analysis through employing the principal component analysis technique. Study-3 is conducted by collecting 400 useable responses via a structured questionnaire, and the subsequent data is analyzed through employing partial least squares structural equation modeling, using Smart PLS3.3.3. Findings The results of this research reveal that environmental attitude, footprint-conscious norms, ecological responsibility belief, and perceived amusement significantly influence coastal tourists’ willingness to pay more for floating river tourism. Besides, perceived amusement moderates the strength of the relationship between environmental attitude, footprint conscious norms, and willingness to pay more for floating river tourism, while perceived amusement does not moderate the strength of relationships between ecological responsibility belief and willingness to pay more for floating river tourism. Practical implications This study can be a guide for devising a strategy for developing alternative tourism (i.e. floating river tourism) destinations through creating a lucrative investment opportunity for investors, creating a sustainable tourism enhancement without generating carbon emissions, and boosting local economic growth. Originality/value This study has been conducted focussed on developing alternative tourism (i.e. floating river tourism) by investigating coastal tourists’ demand for floating river tourism (i.e. willingness to pay more for floating river tourism) in Bangladesh, integrating environmental attitude, footprint-conscious norms, ecological responsibility belief, and perceived amusement.