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Introduction
The tourism industry has been growing at an increasing rate during the past decades and the latter’s importance is characterised by its contribution to employment and economic growth. It presently accounts for 292 million of employed people worldwide, representing one out of ten jobs in the world (WTTC, 2017). In 2016, the industry contributed to 10.2 per cent of world GDP and is predicted to maintain its growth with a mean rate of 3.9 per cent annually during the next 10 years (WTTC, 2017). However, amidst the benefits derived from the expansion of the tourism industry globally, major concerns have been raised with regard to the adverse impact of tourism development on the environment and consequently on the need for adopting more sustainable practices (Hall et al., 2013; Oviedo-García et al., 2016).
The growing awareness of the need for sustainable tourism development and the more generic requirement to meet the challenges of climate change has resulted in a growing emphasis on the concept of ecotourism (Lu et al., 2014; Pipinos and Fokiali, 2009; Weaver and Lawton, 2007). Ecotourism can be defined as the act of “travelling to relatively undisturbed or uncontaminated areas with the specific objective of studying, admiring and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals, as well as any existing cultural manifestations (both past and present) found in these areas” (Orams, 1995, p. 4). Han et al. (2010) report that ecotourism has in fact been growing at a much higher rate than general tourism. Ecotourism’s appeal resides in its integral ability to cater for economic development while catering for the environment. In view of gaining a better understanding of ecotourism behaviours and developing strategies to ensure its sustainability and foster its growth, recent studies have focussed on the antecedents of tourists’ behavioural intentions towards ecotourism and their willingness to pay a premium (Huang et al., 2017; Kaziminia et al., 2016; Lu et al., 2014).
Many of the past research studies have focussed on predictors such as ecotourism attitude and interest, and as, such their influence on ecotourism behaviours has been empirically well established (Lai and Nepal, 2006; Oviedo-García et al., 2016; Singh, Slotkin and Vamosi, 2007). However, as observed by Lu et al.