Published Paper Details:

Growing environmental concerns and increasing awareness of sustainable tourism have significantly influenced the hospitality industry worldwide. However, the adoption of green practices in developing regions, such as Punjab, India, remains limited because of uncertain consumer acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP). This study aimed to model tourist choice behavior for green hotel attributes using a choice experiment (CE) approach and multinomial logit (MNL) model, focusing on Patiala, Punjab. Primary data were simulated based on realistic demographic and behavioral distributions reflecting urban Punjab's tourism patterns (N = 420 respondents). This study evaluated key attributes, including room quality, personal toiletries, service quality, environmental cooperation, green measures, and price. Additionally, latent constructs such as environmental attitude and green consumer behavior were incorporated to capture heterogeneity. The findings reveal that while tourists prefer higher service quality and convenience (e.g., provision of toiletries), they demonstrate a limited willingness to compromise comfort for environmental practices unless compensated. The estimated marginal willingness to pay indicates a premium for luxury and convenience attributes but a discount requirement for participating in eco-friendly behaviors. This study contributes to the literature by extending the CE framework to the Indian context and providing actionable insights for policymakers and hotel managers in emerging markets. This highlights the need for incentive-based green strategies and targeted segmentation to promote sustainable tourism.