An Investigation into the Formation of Tourists’ Pro-Environmental Behavior in Geotourism: Balancing Tourism and Ecosystem Preservation

Tourists’ pro-environmental behavior (TPEB) is crucial in promoting the sustainable development of tourism worldwide. It has received increased attention from scholars in different fields of tourism, but relevant research on the normative activation and formation process of TPEB in geotourism is lacking. Given the complexity of behavioral causes and norm activation, this study is grounded in multiple theories, including the norm activation model (NAM), behavioral reasoning theory (BRT), and complexity theory, to illustrate the formation process of TPEB in geotourism. The Zhangye National Geopark, which is located in Gansu Province, China, was chosen as the research case for this study. In total, 502 valid survey responses were utilized for data analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The PLS-SEM results showed that tourist intention for pro-environmental behaviors is linearly affected by moral norms, attitude, social norms, and perceived behavioral control, which are the key components in the NAM and BRT. The fsQCA results identified six causal recipes components that influence the formation of intention for pro-environmental behaviors, confirming the causal complexity principle of complexity theory. Among these, environmental awareness, anticipated emotion of pride, moral norms, attitude, and social norms are considered core variables. These research findings provide significant management guidance and strategies for the environmental protection of geoparks and the sustainable development of geotourism.