Place Identity and Environmental Conservation in Heritage Tourism : Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior to Iranian Rural Heritage Villages
(2025) In Tourism and Hospitality 6(3).- Abstract
This study examines the determinants of environmentally responsible behavior among tourists in the heritage villages of Paveh County, Iran, through an integrated theoretical framework that synthesizes place-related psychological constructs with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Employing structural equation modeling on data collected from 443 tourists across three heritage villages (July–November 2024), the investigation tested comparative theoretical models with differing explanatory capacities. The baseline TPB model confirmed significant positive effects of environmental attitudes (β = 0.388), environmental norms (β = 0.398), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.547) on behavioral intentions, which subsequently influenced... (More)
This study examines the determinants of environmentally responsible behavior among tourists in the heritage villages of Paveh County, Iran, through an integrated theoretical framework that synthesizes place-related psychological constructs with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Employing structural equation modeling on data collected from 443 tourists across three heritage villages (July–November 2024), the investigation tested comparative theoretical models with differing explanatory capacities. The baseline TPB model confirmed significant positive effects of environmental attitudes (β = 0.388), environmental norms (β = 0.398), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.547) on behavioral intentions, which subsequently influenced environmental behavior (β = 0.561). The extended model incorporating place-related variables demonstrated enhanced explanatory power, with the R2 values increasing from 48.2% to 52.7% for behavioral intentions and from 49.2% to 54.7% for actual behavior. Notably, place identity exhibited dual psychological functions: moderating the intention–behavior relationship (β = 0.155) and mediating between place attachment and environmental behavior (β = 0.163). These findings advance sustainable tourism theory by illuminating the complex pathways through which place-based psychological connections influence environmental behavior formation in heritage contexts, suggesting that more sophisticated theoretical frameworks are required for understanding and promoting sustainable practices in culturally significant destinations.
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- author
- Torabi, Zabih Allah ; Rezvani, Mohammad Reza ; Hall, Colin Michael LU ; Davani, Pantea and Bakhshaei, Boshra
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- environmental behavior, heritage villages, place attachment, place identity, sustainable tourism, theory of planned behavior
- in
- Tourism and Hospitality
- volume
- 6
- issue
- 3
- article number
- 150
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105014477266
- ISSN
- 2673-5768
- DOI
- 10.3390/tourhosp6030150
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 41b0a650-8005-4b5b-9079-f2427ce77d4c
- date added to LUP
- 2025-11-07 09:42:43
- date last changed
- 2025-11-07 09:43:39
@article{41b0a650-8005-4b5b-9079-f2427ce77d4c,
abstract = {{<p>This study examines the determinants of environmentally responsible behavior among tourists in the heritage villages of Paveh County, Iran, through an integrated theoretical framework that synthesizes place-related psychological constructs with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Employing structural equation modeling on data collected from 443 tourists across three heritage villages (July–November 2024), the investigation tested comparative theoretical models with differing explanatory capacities. The baseline TPB model confirmed significant positive effects of environmental attitudes (β = 0.388), environmental norms (β = 0.398), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.547) on behavioral intentions, which subsequently influenced environmental behavior (β = 0.561). The extended model incorporating place-related variables demonstrated enhanced explanatory power, with the R<sup>2</sup> values increasing from 48.2% to 52.7% for behavioral intentions and from 49.2% to 54.7% for actual behavior. Notably, place identity exhibited dual psychological functions: moderating the intention–behavior relationship (β = 0.155) and mediating between place attachment and environmental behavior (β = 0.163). These findings advance sustainable tourism theory by illuminating the complex pathways through which place-based psychological connections influence environmental behavior formation in heritage contexts, suggesting that more sophisticated theoretical frameworks are required for understanding and promoting sustainable practices in culturally significant destinations.</p>}},
author = {{Torabi, Zabih Allah and Rezvani, Mohammad Reza and Hall, Colin Michael and Davani, Pantea and Bakhshaei, Boshra}},
issn = {{2673-5768}},
keywords = {{environmental behavior; heritage villages; place attachment; place identity; sustainable tourism; theory of planned behavior}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{Tourism and Hospitality}},
title = {{Place Identity and Environmental Conservation in Heritage Tourism : Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior to Iranian Rural Heritage Villages}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6030150}},
doi = {{10.3390/tourhosp6030150}},
volume = {{6}},
year = {{2025}},
}