Health and environmental awareness as a catalyst for sustainable travel toward low-carbon intention among tourists’ wellness

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Health consciousness has become an important factor in promoting sustainable travel behavior and encouraging low-carbon tourism among wellness tourists in Thailand. Increased awareness of personal health and environmental sustainability motivates tourists to adopt eco-friendly travel practices and reduce carbon emissions. The study objectives were to investigate the structural relationships between health consciousness, environmental concern, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, as well as their direct and indirect effects on ecologically responsible travel decisions.METHODS: Data were collected from ۴۶۵ respondents using a structured questionnaire measuring health consciousness, environmental concern, attitudes toward sustainable travel, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and low-carbon travel intention. Statistical analysis, including confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, discriminant validity testing, and multiple regression analysis, was conducted using a statistical package for the social sciences version ۲۶.FINDINGS: The results indicated that health consciousness significantly influenced environmental concern, attitudes toward sustainable travel, and low-carbon travel intention. Environmental concern positively affects sustainable travel attitudes and low-carbon travel intention. Among the theory of planned behavior constructs, attitude toward sustainable travel had the strongest influence on low-carbon travel intention, followed by perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. Mediation analysis confirmed that environmental concern and attitudes toward sustainable travel significantly mediated the relationship between health consciousness and low-carbon travel intention. The regression analysis explained ۶۸ percent of the variance in low-carbon travel intention.CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that strengthening health consciousness, environmental concern, and positive behavioral attitudes can significantly increase low-carbon travel intention and support sustainable tourism development.

کلیدواژه ها:

Health Consciousness ، Low-Carbon Travel Intention ، sustainable tourism ، Wellness tourism ، structural equation modeling ، Behavioral Factors