Travel influencer marketing: how green conspicuous behavior promotes pro-environmental travel behavior among Generation Z

Green conspicuous behavior is a common marketing practice among travel influencers, yet its effect on tourists’ pro-environmental travel behavior remains underexplored. Drawing on social identity theory and evidence from three scenario-based experiments, this study finds that: (1) travel influencers’ green conspicuous behavior (vs. non-conspicuous) positively affects Generation Z followers’ pro-environmental travel behavior; (2) moral identity mediates the relationship between green conspicuous behavior and pro-environmental travel behavior; (3) green travel influencers (vs. non-green) strengthen the positive effect of green conspicuous behavior on pro-environmental travel behavior and further enhance the mediating role of moral identity; and (4) travel influencers’ history of environmental vandalism (vs. control) exerts the opposite moderating effect. This study introduces the concept of green conspicuous behavior into travel influencer marketing and offers new insights into the diverse ways in which travel influencers present green behavior and shape follower responses. In practical terms, this study provides new guidelines for destinations seeking to collaborate with influencers to promote sustainable tourism development.