Predicting low-carbon travel behavior: A modified theory of planned behavior model from Taiwan

The activities of the tourism industry and tourists cause many of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. To reduce carbon emissions resulted from travel, low-carbon tourism has becoming an urgent issue. Little research has paid attention to low-carbon travel behavior of tourists, and their influence factors are still unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to establish a modified Theory of Planned Behavior model to predict which factors may impact low-carbon travel behaviors. In this study, an effective sample of 387 Taiwanese was collected in the first "ECO Taiwan Expo." Through a rigorous structural equation modeling process, the results show that the respondents are independently involved in low-carbon tourism, rather than influenced by significant others or groups. In addition, past travel experiences could improve travelers' perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention toward low-carbon travel behavior. Finally, the moderating effect of perceived behavioral control is evidenced between behavioral intention and preferred behavior in this study.