A destination’s personality as a factor in tourists’ environmental knowledge management

Purpose: Environmental knowledge management (EKM) has been studied mainly owing to the increasing awareness of environmental issues. Such issues have generated a warning in the tourism industry that has stimulated a new wave of research on EKM. EKM forges landscape characteristics and so destination image. In turn, EKM sounds affecting tourism destination which calls for destination personality which shows a research context less explored. From a knowledge management perspective, The present research aims to investigate on EKM to understand how it leverages tourists' and destination personality. Design/methodology/approach: With the intent of exploring EKM, the research uses a quantitative analysis on a sample of 2,222 young Chinese tourists. In this context, EKM is linked with destination’s personality and tourists’ personalities, their satisfaction with the destination and their behavioral intentions. Findings: By SPSS regression model, EKM and destination personality are positively linked. This positive relationship is also reflected on destination personality and destination satisfaction, behavioral intention. Originality/value: The authors’ original contribution to the knowledge management literature extends the new wave of research on EKM. The research also proves the need to make a close collaboration between tourists, the local community and marketers. Marketers need to pay more attention to what tourists want to do and see in the place visited. In a nutshell, there is the need of enforcing and promoting EKM.