Green Certification and Tourist Willingness-to-Pay: A Choice Experiment in Eco-Resorts

The rapid global expansion of nature-based tourism placed unprecedented ecological pressure on fragile coastal ecosystems, forcing eco-resorts to adopt verified green operational standards. This enhanced study provides a comprehensive empirical investigation into consumer preferences and marginal Willingness-to-Pay (WTP) for international eco-labels and tangible resort sustainability attributes. Using a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) grounded in Random Utility Theory, primary data were gathered from a stratified sample of 620 international tourists across 16 fractional-factorial choice tasks (9,920 total choice observations). Choice sets evaluated certification authority, renewable energy share, single-use plastic elimination policy, and nightly room-rate premiums. Multinomial Logit (MNL), Random Parameter Mixed Logit (MIXL), and Latent Class (LCA) models were estimated. Results reveal a statistically significant positive WTP for internationally accredited eco-labels (+$28.50/night) and complete plastic bans (+$14.20/night), versus a heavily discounted premium for unaccredited local labels (+$7.11/night). Latent Class Analysis identifies three distinct segments, Eco-Dedicated Travelers (34%), Pragmatic Green Consumers (42%), and Price-Sensitive Traditionalists (24%) each with markedly different elasticities and certification premiums. Extended robustness checks, regional sub-sample estimation, and market-share simulation confirm that internationally audited certification is the single strongest commercial lever available to resort operators.