Understanding Consumer Decision-Making for Regenerative Tourism – An Empirical Study of Influencing Factors

Regenerative tourism is increasingly discussed as a paradigm shift beyond sustainability, yet little is known about the psychological mechanisms that shape consumers’ willingness to adopt regenerative travel behaviour. This study applies the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), extended with Environmental Literacy (EL), to explain regenerative behavioural intention. Based on an online survey of travellers (n = 295), descriptive statistics, correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. Subjective norms emerged as the strongest predictor of regenerative behavioural intention, followed by attitudes; perceived behavioural control showed a comparatively weaker influence. Environmental literacy had a direct effect on intention and increased the TPB model’s explanatory power, with the full model explaining 37 % of the variance in intention. Socio-demographic differences appeared for education, gender and travel style. The results extend behavioural models in tourism and suggest practical measures for providers, including norm-based communication, social role modelling and environmental education to foster regenerative choices.