A Dynamic Theoretical Model Based on Compensatory Ethics: How Religious Belief Shapes Tourists’ Pro-Environmental Behavior

The neoclassical economic view, which posits that individuals’ behavioral motivations stem from utility maximization, overlooks the crucial role of ethical dimension. This oversight limits its ability to adequately explain tourist behavior, particularly in religious tourism and pro-environmental contexts where morality is a crucial determinant of tourist actions. Therefore, this paper aims to employ the compensatory ethics model as the intrinsic mechanism to elucidate how religious belief shapes tourists’ pro-environmental behavior. By using data derived from the WVS database and field survey, this interdisciplinary study develops a dynamic theoretical model based on compensatory ethics theory by integrating theories from religious tourism, behavioral economics, and religious studies. The results demonstrate that religious beliefs can attenuate tourists’ time preference and positively impact their pro-environmental behavior. Tourists exhibit different willingness for pro-environmental behavior during the moral licensing and moral cleansing phases. Furthermore, it provides beneficial practical insights for the religious tourism domain.