.The Role of Consumer Awareness in Shaping Sustainable Hospitality Practices in AlUla, Saudi Arabia
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Date
2025
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Publisher
Saudi Digital Library
Abstract
Purpose: To examine how consumer awareness mediates the adoption of sustainable
hospitality practices in AlUla’s unique heritage tourism setting, focusing on how cultural
beliefs, perceived economic factors, and access to information influence sustainable behavior.
Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was used, involving a cross sectional survey of 306 tourists and residents in AlUla. Data were analyzed with Partial Least
Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test hypotheses based on the Theory of
Planned Behavior (TPB).
Findings: The results indicate that consumer awareness has a strong influence on sustainable
hospitality practices. Economic factors are the most significant predictors of knowledge, while
cultural beliefs and access to information are less influential. However, it is important to note
that consumer awareness fully mediates the impact of economic factors on sustainable
practices. The results demonstrate that consumer awareness positively drives efforts in
sustainable hospitality.
Practical and theoretical implications: In terms of practical implications, the hospitality
sector can promote cost-saving messages rather than cultural beliefs, while policymakers can
encourage sustainability practices by implementing economic incentives like tax breaks and
subsidies. Therefore, for the theoretical contributions, the study advances TPB by showing that
perceived economic factors are more influential than cultural beliefs in raising awareness and
suggests that TPB should be modified to include economic considerations in developing tourist
environments.
Originality: This is the first study to confirm that economic motivation is the main driver of
sustainability, with access to information and cultural beliefs playing a supporting role. It
questions the effectiveness of passive information campaigns in AlUla's rapidly growing
tourism industry and demonstrates that awareness fully mediates the relationship between
economic factors and sustainable tourism practices.
Description
The hospitality industry is a major driver of employment, tourism, and infrastructure
development in the global economy. It is already valued at $4.77 trillion in 2023 and is
projected to reach $11.7 trillion by 2029. However, such rapid growth raises serious
sustainability concerns, as the hospitality sector accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse
gas emissions. Due to these impacts, sustainability has now become a priority for industry
players worldwide, especially in fast-growing tourist destinations like Saudi Arabia. To achieve
its Vision 2030 goals, the focus has been on positioning tourism and hospitality as key
contributors to the national economy, to attract 150 million tourists by 2030 (Alasgah & Rizk,
2023).
Saudi Arabia is positioning tourism and hospitality as a significant economic driver, forecasting
over 150 million visitors annually. AlUla, a key heritage destination, has already seen
remarkable growth and reported around 260,000 visitors in 2023, a 30% increase from the
previous year, according to the Royal Commission for AlUla (2024). However, the Saudi
Tourism Authority (2024) noted that rapid expansion has raised environmental concerns; water
consumption in AlUla's hotels increased by 15% in 2023 due to increased hospitality
development. While advancing the region in line with national plans, sustainable resource
management remains a top priority.
The creation of the “land of AlUla” as a hub for commercial and cultural growth is evident,
with its main destination focused on desert ecology and heritage preservation. Tourist policies
have supported upscale, eco-friendly hospitality developments. However, the challenge of
balancing economic goals with environmental protection remains a core dilemma. Although
social influence and green marketing are recognized as strong drivers of sustainable consumer
behavior, the specific cultural factors affecting consumer attitudes and the adaptation of
sustainable hospitality practices—especially within a Saudi context—are not sufficiently
explored.
This research aims to address this gap by exploring how cultural beliefs, access to information,
and perceived economic factors influence consumer decisions to engage in sustainable
hospitality in Alula. Based on TPB, the study examines the factors behind consumers’
intentions to support green hospitality initiatives, which are shaped by attitudes, subjective
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norms, and perceived behavioral control, reflecting local cultural and environmental attitudes
toward eco-friendly behaviors. Literature often overlooks how cultural values, economic
perceptions, and information sharing collectively impact consumer awareness and sustainable
hospitality in fast-growing destinations like Alula. Most existing studies are conducted in
Western contexts or focus on single factors and do not consider the mediating role of awareness
or the specific expression of Saudi cultural values. This study fills that gap by demonstrating
that awareness fully mediates the economic influence on sustainability. It finds that passive
information efforts are ineffective and introduces the first TPB-based model for heritage
tourism in arid regions grounded in theory.
Keywords
Sustainable hospitality, consumer awareness, economic incentives, AlUla tourism.
Citation
Apa 7th edition citation