The transferability of passion: how green influencers inspire tourists’ green initiative support

The tourism industry has caused severe environmental damage, partially due to the high volume of tourists and their limited engagement in pro-environmental behavior. A viable solution to this problem lies in the involvement of green influencers in promoting green initiatives for destinations. This research seeks to understand how green influencers induce tourist support for such initiatives. Study 1 examines the “contagion effect” of passion, revealing that influencers’ genuine enthusiasm for a green initiative enhances tourists’ support for such an initiative by boosting their passion and green self-efficacy. Study 2 tests a moderated sequential mediation effect and shows that the contagion effect intensifies when influencers clearly articulate a call to action (goal specificity). The study’s findings help to fill gaps in the influencer marketing literature and offer practical guidelines for destinations seeking to collaborate effectively with influencers to promote sustainable tourist behavior by conveying influencer passion and establishing specific goals.