An Investigation of the Effect of Green Creativity on the Development of the Tourism Industry (Case Study: Ardabil Province)

Nowadays, environmentalism has increased among consumers. For this reason, firms can use a concept called green creativity to respond to this trend. Also, since the development of the tourism industry in a region can lead to disadvantages such as environmental pollution or damage to local culture and heritage in addition to advantages, tourism firms should pay more attention to the concept of green creativity. The purpose of this research is to answer the main question: what role does green creativity play in the development of the tourism industry in Ardabil province? The type of research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of the nature of the method. The sample of the research was the employees of service businesses related to tourism in Ardabil province. For sampling, a simple random sampling method was used, and to select the sample size, Cochran’s formula was used, based on which the sample size was equal to 346. Collecting the required data was done using two standard questionnaires on green creativity and effective factors in the development of tourism in the region. Validity was checked and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability by Cronbach’s alpha. Data analysis was done using the SEM method and SPSS 26 and Smart PLS 3 statistical software. The findings of the research showed that since the variable of green creativity explains the variance of the tourism industry, green creativity has a positive and significant effect on the development of the industry. Also, based on the findings, among the dimensions of green creativity, green creative motivation is effective for the development of the tourism industry. The findings of this research can be effective in encouraging organizations and firms active in the tourism industry to pay more attention to green creativity.