EXAMINING CHINESE TOURISTS’ NATURE-BASED TOURISM PARTICIPATION BEHAVIOR: INCORPORATING ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDE INTO A CONSTRAINT-NEGOTIATION MODEL
pp.267-278
Finding the balance between economic development and preservation of the natural environment is a challenging yet important task. This is a particularly pressing issue in the case of China, as it is the largest and fastest-growing market for tourism. The purpose of this research is to examine Chinese tourists’ participation in nature-based, tourism activities by incorporating tourists’ environmental attitude, measured by the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale, into a tourism constraint-negotiation model. The responses of 112 Chinese tourists were examined through CFA. The results from structural equation modeling show environmental attitude will positively affect tourists’ motivation, which, in turn, will affect their negotiation strategy and ultimately their participation behavior. On the other hand, constraints on nature-based tourism will negatively affect tourists’ participation behavior. The theoretical and managerial implications of this study are discussed in the context of the tourism literature.