I buy green because I feel green pressure: the effect of destination social responsibility on tourists’ green product purchase behavior

Purpose Encouraging green consumption is a proven strategy for supporting destination sustainability. Nonetheless, extant research approaches destination sustainability mainly from an economic perspective. In this study, we explore the effectiveness of destination social responsibility (DSR) as a way to encourage green consumption among tourists from a social interaction perspective. Design/methodology/approach We used a mixed-method approach with two studies (i.e. a scenario experiment and a survey) to test our hypotheses. The scenario experiment included four versions of a narrative scenario with 40 samples each, and 421 valid questionnaires were obtained in the survey. Findings Our findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between DSR and green pressure. And DSR positively influences tourists’ green product purchase behavior (GPB). Tourists who have a high fear of negative evaluation (FNE) experience more pressure when exposed to DSR than those with low FNE. Originality/value This study sheds light on the mechanisms through which DSR influences tourists’ GPB from a stress transaction perspective and also offers practical implications for tourism marketing and destination management.