관광객의 기후변화 위기 인식과 탄소중립 행동: 기후변화위 기인식모델 적용

Tourists’ Climate Change Risk Perception and Carbon-Neutral Behavior: Applying CCRPM

Purpose – The main purpose of this study is to investigate tourists’ pro-environmental behavior intentions in response to the climate crisis. Specifically, this study applies the Climate Change Risk Perception Model (CCRPM) to examine how tourists’ ecological values, knowledge, and experiential processes shape their intention to engage in carbon-neutral tourism and willingness to pay a tourism carbon tax. Design/methodology/approach - A structured online survey was conducted using a nationwide panel in South Korea from June 11 to June 17, 2025. A total of 300 valid responses were collected and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Six hypotheses were proposed to test the structural relationships among the five variables in the CCRPM-based model. Findings - The analysis revealed that five of the six hypotheses were supported. Ecological values, climate change knowledge, and experiential processes significantly increased intentions toward carbon-neutral tourism, while only ecological values and knowledge enhanced willingness to pay a tourism carbon tax. These findings underscore the critical roles of cognitive and value-based factors in promoting pro-environmental tourism behavior. Research implications or Originality - This study expands the applicability of CCRPM to the tourism domain, offering a novel theoretical framework to explain pro-environmental behavior from the tourist’s perspective. Practically, the findings provide strategic insights for tourism policymakers and businesses aiming to promote carbon-neutral behavior and enhance public acceptance of climate-related tourism policies.