From belief to intention: perceived tourist effectiveness and low-carbon tourism in tourism cities

This study examines how tourists form low-carbon tourism (LCT) intentions in tourism cities by identifying the belief-level mechanisms underlying motivational formation. Integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour with a Cognition–Affect–Conation perspective, perceived tourist effectiveness (PTE) is positioned as a cognitive antecedent of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. Survey data from tourists in major Vietnamese tourism cities were analysed using PLS-SEM. Results show that PTE is positively related to all three TPB components and has significant indirect effects on LCT intention through each, with attitude and perceived behavioural control representing the strongest pathways. Multigroup analysis further indicates generational differences in the belief–motivation process. The study contributes to urban tourism research by examining the visitor-level side of low-carbon transitions in tourism cities.