Acta turistica, Vol. 38 No. 1, 2026.
Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.22598/at/2026.38.1.79
WHAT DRIVES SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARENESS IN GENERATION Z? ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL AWARENESS AMONG YOUNG PORTUGUESE TRAVELERS
María-Francisca BLASCO-LÓPEZ
; Complutense University of Madrid, Faculty of Commerce and Tourism, Madrid, Spain
Soraia RIBEIRO
orcid.org/0000-0003-3380-7882
; Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Nuno ALMEIDA
; Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
Sulaiman KRAYEM
; Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
This study examines how economic, environmental, and social sustainability awareness jointly shapes sustainable tourism awareness among Generation Z, and whether this process operates through experiential mechanisms. Using survey data from 317 Portuguese travelers aged 14–25, an integrated model with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was tested. The findings show that economic awareness emerges as the most influential direct driver of sustainable tourism awareness. Environmental awareness is particularly relevant for enhancing visitor satisfaction and supports perceptions of local participation. Social awareness contributes positively to both satisfaction and local Participation, although with a more moderate effect. Importantly, both visitor satisfaction and perceived local participation strengthen sustainable tourism awareness, with the latter playing a central role in connecting sustainability-related beliefs to overall awareness.
Keywords
sustainable tourism awareness; Generation Z; triple bottom line; PLS-SEM; Portugal
Hrčak ID:
349504
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2026.
Visits: 7 *