Turi̇zm İşletmeleri̇nde Döngüsel Ekonomi̇ Uygulamalarinin Planli Davraniş Teori̇si̇ Kapsaminda Değerlendi̇ri̇lmesi̇

Studies on the circular economy, one of the current issues in tourism, have mostly focused on production enterprises and have not examined the tourism sector sufficiently. Accordingly, our study aims to evaluate the circular economy practices of small- and medium-sized tourism and hospitality enterprises based on the theory of planned behaviour. Research data were obtained from 183 tourism organisations. The data obtained through the cross-sectional survey were analysed using the SmartPLS 4 software. Findings show that attitude towards circular economy and perceived behavioural control have a positive effect on behavioural intention towards circular economy, but subjective norms have no effect. This finding reflects that circular economy practices of SMEs in the tourism sector may be related to internal factors such as perceived cost-benefit, organizational structure, and strategic goals rather than external drivers such as stakeholder expectations or social pressures. In addition, perceived behavioural control has a positive effect on behaviour towards circular economy practices. It was also found that most SMEs' decision-makers had positive intentions to implement some of the circular economy best practices, but many organisations fail to implement these behaviours. In this respect, the research draws attention to the intention-behaviour gap. This gap can be explained by challenges facing the circular economy, such as high costs, a lack of technology and knowledge, and organizational deficiencies. Therefore, structural and administrative adjustments are needed to implement circular economy practices in the tourism sector. The research discusses the links between the theoretical knowledge on the necessity of the circular economy in the tourism sector and practical applications, and reveals its importance for the sector.