International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: MS. Chitra Sharma
Abstract: – The hospitality and tourism sector faces mounting pressure to pivot from growth-at-all-costs to models that nurture both planetary health and traveler well-being. This study analytically disentangles the complementary roles of industry actors, educators, and strategic partners (public agencies, NGOs, and technology firms) in fostering conscious consumption and, in turn, driving sustainable economic growth. We address three guiding questions: (RQ1) How do hospitality firms operationalize and mainstream conscious-consumption practices? (RQ2) Which pedagogical interventions most effectively cultivate responsibility-oriented mind-sets in future professionals and tourists? (RQ3) In what ways do cross-sector partnerships accelerate or impede the diffusion of well-being–centric business models? Adopting an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, Phase 1 conducts multi-case qualitative analysis of 12 eco-certified hotels, five tourism colleges, and four destination management organizations across Asia and Europe. Insights inform Phase 2, a survey of 824 travelers and 312 hospitality employees analyzed via partial least-squares structural-equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results reveal that (i) industry initiatives such as circular-economy housekeeping and digital “nudge” interfaces raise guests’ conscious-consumption scores by 27 %, (ii) educator-led experiential modules boost students’ pro-sustainability behavioral intentions by 33 %, and (iii) strategic partnerships leveraging open-data platforms explain 41 % of the variance in destination-level wellness revenue growth. Collectively, these pathways increase local GDP contributions from tourism by an estimated 8 % without degrading environmental carrying capacity. Practically, the study offers modular toolkits for operators, SDG-aligned curricula for educators, and incentive blueprints for policymakers. The integrative stakeholder lens advances theory by linking micro-level consumption choices to macro-economic outcomes, providing a replicable roadmap for other service industries.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16030098
