Journal
JOURNAL OF HOSPITALITY & TOURISM RESEARCH
Volume 41, Issue 3, Pages 278-300Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/1096348014538053
Keywords
nature-based tourism; destination image; motivation; attitudes; structural equation modeling
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This article takes a dyadic approach to the conceptualization of nature-based tourism (NBT) destinations. Treating the natural area and its gateway city as distinct evaluative objects, we propose that tourists may differentially assess each element of a city-park dyad based on the degree to which the attributes of each are perceived as conducive to the fulfillment of NBT-specific goals. By empirically testing this perspective, this study reveals the unique complexities of NBT. The findings indicate that nature-based tourists have distinct perceptions of natural areas and their gateway cities. The results also reveal that proenvironmental attitudes motivate individuals to engage in NBT and are associated with a positive image of the natural area. However, these proenvironmental attitudes also yield negative attitudes toward the human-made attributes of the gateway city, which result in a negative image of the city itself. The principal implications for future research and application are discussed.
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