THE IMPACT OF GUESTS’ ATTITUDE AND SUBJECTIVE NORM ON WILLINGNESS TO PAY A PREMIUM FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY PRACTICES IN SRI LANKAN HOTEL INDUSTRY: AN APPLICATION OF THEORY OF REASONED ACTION (TRA)

Abstract

This paper examines the guests’ willingness to pay a premium for renewable energy practices in Sri Lankan hotel industry in a context where the renewable energy considered as an alternative source of energy that has a growing consumer demand. The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of guests’ attitude and subjective norm on their willingness to pay a premium for hotels’ ‘renewable energy practices’ by using the Theory of Reasoned Action. A structured questionnaire served as the main instrument in gathering primary data from 60 respondents. This study found that guests’ attitude and social norms have a positive relationship with their willingness to pay a premium and both independent variables lead to a strong impact on dependent variable suggesting that, the guests with positive attitude and stronger social norms are more likely to pay a premium for renewable energy practices.