The results show that the distinguishing characteristics of green travelers seeking green lodging are that they belong to the young generation, are female, have high educational accomplishment, and have high levels of participation in daily eco-friendly activities. | VNU Journal of Science: Economics and Business, Vol. 34, No. 5E (2018) 1-11 Characteristics of Green Hotels‟ Potential Customers: A Case of Vietnamese Domestic Tourists Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao1,*, Bui Thi Quynh Trang2 1 Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, National Economics University, 207 Giai Phong, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam 2 International School of Management & Economics, National Economics University, 207 Giai Phong, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, Vietnam Received 03 December 2018 Revised 26 December 2018; Accepted 27 December 2018 Abstract: Despite the fact that the green wave has spread globally over the hotel industry, the characteristics of an environmentally friendly tourist has not yet been clearly clarified and is still controversial. Therefore, the objective of this study is to describe the demographics and behavioral qualities of Vietnamese domestic tourists who are willing patrons in a green hotel. The results show that the distinguishing characteristics of green travelers seeking green lodging are that they belong to the young generation, are female, have high educational accomplishment, and have high levels of participation in daily eco-friendly activities. Keywords: Green tourist, environmentally friendly, demographic, involvement. 1. Introduction are referred to as green tourists, environmentally friendly tourists or ecotourists. As stated by Dolinicar and Matus (2008), green tourists are a broader concept than ecotourists [3]. Green travelers behave in tourism general contexts, whereas ecotourists represent a subset of green tourists in nature-based tourism. There have been a number of studies on the characteristics of green consumers in general as well as ecotourists who are involved in ecotourism, however, the profile of green tourists in the general tourism context or a particular sector such as hospitality is not well researched [4, 5]. Despite the current popularity of green consumers, the green tourist segment in .
