Exploring the drivers of Gen Z tourists’ buycott behaviour: a lifestyle politics perspective

Generation Z (Gen Z) is the largest cohort of generational consumers worldwide and is perceived to show greater connectivity with political consumerism compared to older age cohorts. Nonetheless, there is a notable absence of empirical knowledge on key antecedents of Gen Z's engagement in tourism-related buycotting. Grounded in political and ethical consumerism literature and guided by lifestyle politics theory, this study aims to illuminate the drivers underpinning buycott behaviour of Gen Z in a developing country context. The qualitative findings demonstrate that Gen Z' buycott behaviour has two categories of drivers: individual (fulfilment, constructing self-identity and frugality) and prosocial (altruism, trust and the pursuit of social justice). Exposure to social media information, peer persuasion and past experience are also key influencers in Gen Z' buycott participation. Overall, the research extends the understanding of tourist sustainable consumption in terms of generational behaviours, notably Gen Z's buycott behaviour. The study provides novel insights to a stream of the political consumerism literature, which is only at a nascent stage in tourism studies. While adding value theoretically, the study also provides useful managerial implications for businesses to stimulate tourists' political and ethical consumption.