Mediating role of attitudinal and behavioral loyalty between destination attractiveness and environmentally responsible behavior based on Stimulus-Organism-Response model

Abstract

This study examined the causal relationships between destination attractiveness, attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, and environmentally responsible behavior based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model. Four hundred and eighty-six nature-based tourists were collected from Xitou Nature Education Area, Taiwan. Results show that the SOR model can effectively explain nature-based tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior generation. Tourists’ destination attractiveness would significantly trigger attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, and environmentally responsible behavior. Attitudinal and behavioral loyalty are the essential drivers to generate tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior. This study further contributes to the literature exploring destination loyalty as a mediator of environmentally responsible behavior.