Responsible Tourism and Generational Convergence: A Comparative Study of University Students in Italy and Vietnam

Responsible Tourism and Generational Convergence: A Comparative Study of University Students in Italy and VietnamThis paper examines the determinants of responsible tourism intentions among university students in Italy and Vietnam through the Theory of Planned Behav-iour. Situated within two geographically distinct tourism systems –a mature, spatially saturated destination and a rapidly expanding tourism geography –the study draws on a quantitative survey of 451 students. Structural equation mod-elling reveals that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control all positively influence behavioural intention, with perceived behaviouralcon-trol as the dominant influence. Multi-group analysis shows no significant struc-tural differences between the two national samples, suggesting a convergent behavioural pattern shaped by transnational digital environments. Social aware-ness, rather than environmental concern, proves the strongest driver of inten-tion, pointing to the territorially and relationally embedded nature of responsi-ble tourism practices among younger generations