Purpose This systematic literature review (SLR) examines and consolidates the current understanding of ecotourist behavior in the context of their values, beliefs, and personal norms and how it shapes their environmentally responsible behavior and sustainable practices in ecotourism settings. Design/methodology/approach The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol guided the systematic review process. Through an iterative screening process, the authors identified 46 peer-reviewed articles. Findings Findings highlight the limited exploration of ecotourists' values, beliefs, and personal norms, and their significance in fostering environmentally responsible tourism and promoting pro-sustainable behaviors in ecotourism settings. The findings also highlight the critical roles of ecotourists' values, beliefs, and personal norms in shaping their sustainability-related behaviors. Research limitations/implications The study emphasizes the evolving focus on cross-cultural behavioral variations, leveraging technology's influence, assessing the impacts of community engagement, understanding modern psychological factors, and the need for continuous impact assessments in ecotourism sustainability. Originality/value Unlike broader sustainability reviews, this SLR specifically synthesizes VBN-related constructs within ecotourism research, highlighting the relationships among values, beliefs, personal norms, and environmentally responsible behavior. The review also classifies emerging behavioral shifts influenced by digital engagement and post-pandemic environmental awareness.
Belly et al. (2026) studied this question.