Low-carbon tourism: determining domestic tourist perception from Thailand: Tourism Agenda 2030

Purpose Underpinned by three-factor theory, this study aims to: examine the dynamics (asymmetry) of multi-quality low-carbon attributes towards the Thai tourists’ perception and prioritise carbon-tourism attributes on the basis of impact-range performance and asymmetric analysis. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a multi-method approach to derive the low-carbon tourism (LCT) items before conducting exploratory factor analysis to identify the underlying dimensions. Impact range performance analysis and impact asymmetry analysis were carried out to explore the asymmetric or symmetric relationship associated with tourists’ perception of LCT. Findings Findings reveal the three dimensions of the LCT attributes. Out of the 29 attributes, nine are regarded as “must-have” categories, such that tourists will be disappointed at the efforts of a low-carbon destination if these attributes are missing, but they will feel neutral if the attributes are present. Six LCT attributes fall into the “hybrid” category, such that tourists will appreciate if they perceive these attributes to be available for LCT and feel disappointed if these attributes are not or poorly offered. Fourteen attributes are considered under the “value-added” category, meaning tourists will only appreciate if they encounter these attributes at the destination, and the lack thereof will not cause any dissatisfaction or negative perception from tourists. Originality/value Through the multi-quality asymmetric analysis, the study provides deep insights into the degree of perception of the 29 LCT attributes. The study offers tangible guidelines to destination authorities and pinpoints the necessity to provide attributes, especially in the “hybrid” and “must-have” categories, to avoid tourists’ negative perceptions when they visit a low-carbon destination.