Do ecotourism, green construction, environmental education, and sustainable behaviour lead to sustainable development? A mediation-moderation approach

Abstract

Countries are experiencing economic expansion and advancement due to the effect of globalization and other related factors. However, this increase in development has an irreversible effect on the environment. Environmental deterioration has already awoken the concerns of communities and nations to show sensitivity towards the environment. Tourists with expanded environmental consciousness now demand countries adopt environmental practices to protect the environment. The debate is interesting and requires the maximum empirical evidence; thus, this study explores environmental education and green social behaviour in a Vietnamese context. The article also investigates the mediating role of green construction and the moderating role of ecotourism in the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Employing value-belief-norm theory, the framework is designed to capture the collective impact of these constructs on SDGs. A partial least squares methodology reveals that environmental education and green social behaviour lead to successful SDG achievement. Green construction is also a potential mediator among environmental education, green social behaviour and the achievement of SDGs, and ecotourism significantly moderates among green social behaviour and the achievement of SDGs in Vietnam. The study confirms the significance of environmental learning and sustainable behaviour which may act as contributors to pro-conservation action. It also reveals that ecotourism and green construction are essential parameters of SDGs.