journal article·2026-05-14Open access

Configurational analysis of dual pathways to environmental responsibility in heritage tourism

Kerun Li, Weiguo Zhan, Caijin Zhang

npj Heritage Science· Volume 14· Issue 1

Abstract

Balancing tourism growth with heritage conservation requires understanding tourists’ Environmental Responsibility Behaviour (ERB). This study examines the underlying processes of ERB by exploring how environmental stimuli and knowledge are associated with affective responses and subsequent behaviour. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, we employed a mixed-methods approach with data from 421 visitors to Macao’s Historic Centre. Results show Action Knowledge exerts the strongest direct effect on ERB and consistently serves as a core condition across configurations. Negative Anticipated Emotions play a supportive role in configurations where Tourism Environment is present, particularly when combined with AK and PAEs. fsQCA reveals three distinct configurations leading to high ERB: Knowledge Negative Emotion Collaborative, Knowledge Positive Emotion Collaborative, and Action-Emotion Synergy, with an overall solution coverage of 0.600. The findings advance theoretical understanding of ERB drivers. Practically, heritage managers should prioritize actionable guidelines over abstract campaigns and adopt differentiated strategies based on site conditions.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Geotourism and Geoheritage Conservation

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