Romanian eco-guesthouses in the sustainable tourism sector: The role of environmental interpretation in shaping loyalty and environmental behaviors

The present research sought to explore the predictive role of environmental interpretation (EI) on guests of rural eco-certified guesthouses in Romania, focusing specifically on their loyalty intentions towards these units, their self-reported in-situ environmental behaviors during their stays, and their environmental intentions upon returning home. An integrated theoretical framework was developed by merging the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) and Norm Activation Theory (NAT). A quantitative approach was employed, collecting data from a cross-sectional sample of guests at rural Romanian eco-certified guesthouses. The structural model assessment revealed that while perceived EI is a significant direct predictor of loyalty intentions and environmental intentions in everyday life, its direct association with reported in-guesthouse behavior is non-significant. Instead, the multi-stage sequential mediation analysis demonstrated that the effects of EI on outcomes operate predominantly through complex, sequential cognitive-moral pathways involving personal attitude, problem awareness, ascribed responsibility, and personal norms. The integrated framework demonstrated high predictive power for both loyalty and future environmental intentions, whereas subjective norms remained non-significant within these settings. These findings offer distinct theoretical contributions to environmental psychology and sustainable tourism research, alongside managerial implications for developing more effective interpretation programs that promote sustainable tourist behaviors both during and after the stay.