THE EFFECT OF LEISURE INVOLVEMENT ON PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR THROUGH PLACE ATTACHMENT: A SURVEY OF HIKING TOURISTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35814/8aqdf572Keywords:
Pro-environmental Behavior, Leisure Involvement, Place Attachment, HikingAbstract
This study examines a behavioral model of tourist by integrating leisure involvement, place attachment, and pro-environmental behavior in the context of hiking activities in mountainous areas, particularly on cliffs or mountain peaks. As hiking tourism continues to grow, pro-environmental behavior among tourists becomes increasingly important. This study aims to analyze the effect of leisure involvement on place attachment and pro-environmental behavior, as well as the mediating role of place attachment. Data were collected from 370 valid respondents who participated in hiking activities. The data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS version 24. The results show that leisure involvement has a positive and significant effect on place attachment, and place attachment has a positive and significant effect on pro-environmental behavior. Although leisure involvement directly influences pro-environmental behavior, this effect is weaker that its indirect influence through place attachment. Furthermore, place attachment plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between leisure involvement and pro-environmental behavior. The findings contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence on tourist behavior in outdoor recreation and provide insights for destination managers to design recreational activities that strengthen emotional bonds with nature and encourage pro-environmental behavior to support sustainable tourism
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