Italian Gen Z and sustainable coastal tourism: a segmentation analysis of knowledge, attitudes and pro-environmental behaviours

Purpose: Coastal and marine tourism (CMT) is facing environmental challenges that may prove critical in the near future. A shift towards sustainable approaches is required. Investigating the approach of today’s youth, who represent an important segment of the general and tourist populations, can foster this change. The aim of this study is to investigate the knowledge, opinions, attitudes and behaviour among the Italian Gen Z in relation to coastal and marine environments and the sustainability of CMT and to perform a segmentation of young people’s profiles. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of 778 students was performed. Descriptive statistics, tests and cluster analyses were applied. Findings: Two-thirds of the participants are convinced that tourism activities may interfere with the protection of marine and coastal environments. Likewise, they are largely convinced that the quality of these environments could affect tourism. The respondents’ environmental behaviour is mainly related to the issues of litter and single-use plastics. Gender and area of residence significantly affect the respondents’ knowledge of marine sustainability topics, some of their behavioural attitudes and their future perspectives. The educational field is significant for many phenomena. The cluster analysis detected five groups, ranging from a distant profile to one more interested in sustainable marine tourism whose members are involved and have a strong environmental attitude. Originality/value: The study gives an original contribution to the literature on generational cohorts and young people’s perspectives on future scenarios of sustainable coastal and marine tourism.