The Impacts of Place Attachment on Environmentally Responsible Behavioral Intention and Satisfaction of Chinese Nature-Based Tourists

Alice S.Y. Chow,Gwendolyn K.L. Wong,Lewis T.O. Cheung,Theresa W.L. Lam,Anson T.H. Ma

doi:10.3390/su11205585

Alice S.Y. Chow, Gwendolyn K.L. Wong + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su11205585

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Abstract

Increasing visits to protected areas in China have drawn public attention on the negative impacts on ecologically sensitive areas. Understanding potential determinants of the environmentally responsible behavioral intention of nature-based tourists has become a common focus in tourism studies. Scholars seek to explore potential determinants of visitors’ behavior, and the findings can be referenced by the managers of protected areas to formulate visitor management strategies. On the basis of a sample of 402 questionnaires collected in protected areas in South China, namely, Nanling National Forest Park and Dinghu Mountain National Nature Reserve, we explore the association between visitors’ place attachment and their satisfaction and environmentally responsible behavioral intention. The results show that place dependence and place identity are positively correlated with the satisfaction and environmentally responsible behavioral intention of visitors; thus, our results differ from those of previous studies on Western visitors. The lack of significant results regarding place social bonding revealed the shortcomings associated with visitor management in China’s protected areas. Chinese culture has a great influence on various findings in this study. All of the findings provide significant insights for management and policy-making regarding protected areas worldwide to accommodate the rising number of nature-based visitors to China.

Highlights

As a niche tourism market, nature-based tourism has been examined extensively in the literature of recent decades
The majority of respondents were under the age of 35 (30.3% were between 18 and 24, and 27.6% were between 25 and 34), showing that nature-based tourism is popular among younger generations in China
This study explored the correlations between place attachment, satisfaction, and environmentally responsible behavioral intention (ERBI) and discussed the relevance of Western studies and models to Chinese visitors

Summary

Introduction

As a niche tourism market, nature-based tourism has been examined extensively in the literature of recent decades. Nature-based tourism occurs in natural settings, where tourists travel to enjoy natural environments and wildlife [1,2,3]. Protected areas are popular destinations for nature-based tourists [4]. While nature-based tourism has been regarded as a useful tool for pursuing sustainable development and has been recommended by the World Tourism Organization, conflicts between nature conservation and tourism development have drawn researchers’ attention. The negative impacts generated by nature-based tourists, such as trampling, littering, and disturbance to wildlife, have been reported by a number of scholars [5,6,7]. In China, the negative impacts generated by nature-based tourism are becoming major concerns [8,9]

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