Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of environmental education and awareness on littering behavior within two ecotourism destinations (Asa Wright Nature Center and Rio Seco Waterfall). Furthermore, an attempt was made to produce a model that identified and explained the possible relationships between various constructs that affected the pro-environmental behavior of “not littering" by ecotourists at the two ecotourism destinations. The conceptual background of this research venture was derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior and was further informed by the Grounded Theory. A mixed methods approach including both a qualitative phase and quantitative phase was utilized for the relevant data collection and analyses in this study. The qualitative data were collected from informal interviews with a total of two managers and six tour guides. Data analysis through a thematic coding procedure utilized the results to inform a final questionnaire design for quantitative data collection. Subsequently, quantitative data were collected via the administration of survey questionnaires to a total of 404 ecotourist participants at the Asa Wright Nature Center and the Rio Seco Waterfall. Descriptive statistics and path analyses were executed for analysis of the quantitative data. Findings indicated the hypothesized significance of ecotourists practicing more pro-environmental behavior based on their level of environmental awareness.