Tourists’ Green Mobility Motivation: Scale Development and Validation

Tourism transport is a major source of tourism-related carbon emissions and a persistent challenge to destination sustainability. Within destinations, tourist green mobility represents a distinct form of pro-environmental behavior and an important means of reducing transport-related emissions. Its motivational foundations, however, remain undertheorized and insufficiently differentiated. To address this gap, this study conceptualized tourist green mobility motivation and developed and validated a corresponding scale. Study 1 used qualitative coding to identify the construct’s conceptual domain, behavioral manifestations, and core dimensions. Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Study 2 established a 24-item scale comprising constrained compliance, contagious compliance, instrumental self-discipline, and collective benefit. Study 3 tested a nomological network linking place attachment, tourist green mobility motivation, and experience quality. Place attachment was positively associated with green mobility motivation, which, in turn, was positively associated with experience quality; bootstrapping further supported a significant indirect association consistent with partial mediation. The scale offers a focused tool for examining motivation–behavior relationships and informing destination-level green mobility interventions.destinations.