Analysis of the Effect of Green Marketing Mix and Green Brand Attitude on Urban Tourism with the Mediating Role of Green Intellectual Capital: the Study case of Ardabil city tourists

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Department of Business Management, Faculty of Social Sciences, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran

Abstract

Analysis of the Effect of Green Marketing Mix and Green Brand Attitude on Urban Tourism with the Mediating Role of Green Intellectual Capital:
the Study case of Ardabil city tourists
A B S T R A C T
Despite the benefits it brings, the development of urban tourism has caused a series of environmental problems. Therefore, the recognition and application of environmental principles and concepts in the activities of organizations and companies in the field of tourism has become very important. This study aimed to explore the impact of green marketing and brand attitude on urban tourism, with a focus on the mediating role of green intellectual capital. The study was conducted for descriptive-survey purposes and used a correlational method. The statistical community of the research included all the tourists of Ardabil city in 2022; according to Cochran's formula for unlimited communities,384 people were selected as a sample, and the research questionnaire was distributed among them. These people were selected from the statistical population by a simple random method. The reliability of the questionnaires was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha and validity using confirmatory factor analysis. Data analysis was done using the structural equation modeling method, SPSS 26, and Smart-PLS 3 software. Based on the research findings, green marketing mix on urban tourism, green intellectual capital on urban tourism, green marketing mix on green intellectual capital, and green brand attitude positively and significantly affect green intellectual capital. However, the attitude of the green brand does not significantly affect urban tourism. Green intellectual capital also plays a mediating role in the relationship between green marketing and urban tourism and the relationship between green brand attitude and urban tourism. The findings of this research can effectively improve the green performance of urban tourism organizations.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Despite the benefits it brings, the development of urban tourism has caused a series of environmental problems. Therefore, the recognition and application of environmental principles and concepts in the activities of organizations and firms in the field of tourism have become very important. This study aims to explain the effect of the green marketing mix and brand attitude on urban tourism and the mediating role of green intellectual capital.
 
Methodology
This research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of the nature of the method. The statistical population of the research was all tourists who chose Ardabil city as their tourist destination. The sampling method was simple random sampling, and Cochran's formula was used to determine the sample size. due to the unlimited population, the sample size was 384. The data collection method was library studies as well as field methods (using questionnaires). Data collection for the field section was done using four standard questionnaires: "Green Marketing Mix," "Consumer Attitude to Green Brand," "Effective Factors in the Tourism Development of the Region," and "Green Intellectual Capital." All questions were graded on a Likert scale. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha method, and experts confirmed the validity of the face and content of the questionnaires. Data analysis was done with the help of structural equation modeling (partial least squares approach), SPSS 26, and Smart-PLS 3 software.
 
Results and discussion
According to the research findings, green marketing mix on urban tourism, green intellectual capital on urban tourism, green marketing mix on green intellectual capital, and green brand attitude have a positive and significant effect on green intellectual capital. However, the attitude of the green brand does not significantly affect urban
 
tourism. Green intellectual capital also plays a mediating role in the relationship between green marketing and urban tourism and the relationship between green brand attitude and urban tourism. The findings of this research can effectively improve the green performance of urban tourism organizations.
 
Conclusion
Based on the research findings, the green marketing mix has a positive and significant effect on urban tourism. Therefore, if tourism firms and organizations (such as tourism agencies and tours, hotels, and guesthouses, etc.) apply green marketing mix dimensions (green product, green price, green place, and green promotion) in their activities while attracting customers (tourists) more towards themselves (especially, environmentally friendly customers) and helping to develop urban tourism, they can protect the environmental health of tourist destinations that may be intentionally or unintentionally endangered by tourism development. Also, since green intellectual capital has a positive and significant effect on urban tourism, tourism firms, and organizations should try to improve their green intellectual capital to maintain tourist destinations' environmental sustainability. Among other things, strengthen their employees' knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the environment. Apply green processes and procedures in activities related to tourism, establish their organizational culture based on respect for the environment of tourist destinations, and cooperate with other organizations and their customers to maintain environmental sustainability in urban tourism development. In addition, green marketing mix positively and significantly affects green intellectual capital. Thus, it can be said that the application of green marketing mix dimensions in organizational activities can improve the green intellectual capital in its various dimensions in the organization because, in that case, the employees of the organization must adapt their knowledge and skills to the principles of green marketing. The organization should make its processes and culture consistent with the principles of green marketing. Finally, in this way, other organizations and customers also commit to maintaining environmental sustainability. Furthermore, since the green brand attitude has a positive and significant effect on green intellectual capital, organizations should change the attitude of their employees towards the tourism brand to an environmental attitude as much as possible so that they can improve their green intellectual capital, especially in the aspect of green human capital.
Finally, based on the above and considering the confirmation of the mediating role of green intellectual capital in the mixed relationship between green marketing and urban tourism, as well as in the relationship between green brand attitude and urban tourism, organizations should attach great importance to strengthening their green intellectual capital, because It plays a very important role in the development of green urban tourism.
Based on these materials, several practical suggestions are presented as follows:
-Training and institutionalizing the culture of respect for the environment of tourist destinations among the employees of organizations active in the field of tourism,
-Removing plastic materials (as much as possible) and replacing renewable and recyclable materials in the products of companies (especially companies active in the field of tourism)
-Using online advertisements to promote respect for the environment and also to promote tourism destinations,
-Increasing cooperation and partnership between tourism companies and other organizations to maintain tourism destinations' environmental sustainability.
 
Funding
This article is derived from a research project that was implemented with the financial support of the research and technology department of Mohaghegh Ardabili University.
 
Authors’ Contribution
The authors were equally involved in the conception and writing of the work. The authors confirmed the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work
 
Conflict of interest
The author declares that he has no conflict of interest in writing or publishing this article.
 
Acknowledgments
The author thanks and appreciates all those who helped in this research, especially those who evaluated the quality of the articles.

Keywords

References

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urban tourism
Volume 11, Issue 3
September 2024
Pages 37-53

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