Abstract
This study investigates the antecedents of environmentally responsible behaviour by creating a theoretical model of relationships between service quality, place attachment and environmentally responsible behaviour. A questionnaire survey was conducted among tourists who visited six famous tourist attractions in Shaanxi, China. The results of the research demonstrate that service quality exerts influence on environmentally responsible behaviour and place attachment in a positive manner. Additionally, the findings suggest that place attachment affects environmentally responsible behaviour in a direct and positive manner. Moreover, it is also found that service quality strengthens its effect on environmentally responsible behaviour through place attachment, indicating the mediating role of place attachment in the link between service quality and environmentally responsible behaviour. The current research contributes to tourism literature in that it helps to better understand the tourists’ environmentally responsible behaviour and provides management with evidence of the significance for improving the service quality at tourist attractions.
Highlights
The bootstrapping testing results demonstrate that the link between service quality and tourists’ environmentally responsible behaviour is mediated by place attachment
Using both cultural heritage sites and nature-based site as study settings, this study has explored the relationships between service quality, place attachment and environmentally responsible behaviour to examine the antecedents of environmentally responsible behaviour
This study has examined the antecedents of environmentally responsible behaviour at cultural heritage sites and a nature-based site in Shaanxi, China, by creating a theoretical model representing the relationships between service quality, place attachment and environmentally responsible behaviour, which is the first time in tourism literature that the structural relationships between the three variables in the same model have been simultaneously examined
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The present study attempts to investigate whether the service quality at tourist attractions affects place attachment. Our research contributes to tourism literature in that this is the first attempt to investigate the effect of service quality on the tourists’ environmentally responsible behaviour in scenic spots, including both cultural heritage sites and nature-based sites. It is among the first to access service quality at the most famous six tourist attractions in Shaanxi and explore its influence on the tourists’ place attachment and environmentally responsible behaviour, which suggests the significance of service quality management for the sustainable use of tourism resources and the sustainable development of local tourism
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