Sustaining Green–Heritage Destinations: Normative and Heritage-Value Mechanisms Driving Sustainable Tourism in Bang Kachao
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Abstract
Sustainable tourism in heritage-rich green destinations is shaped by complex motivational forces that are not fully explained by conventional extensions of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). This study reinterprets the TPB and investigates the interplay between attitudinal, normative, and heritage-based motivations in Bang Kachao, Thailand. Using a correlational, cross-sectional design, data were collected from general tourists and local residents and analyzed through a hybrid strategy integrating Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). The SEM results demonstrate that subjective norms are the strongest predictor of sustainable visitation intentions, highlighting a context-dependent normative dominance characteristic of collectivist green tourism. Attitude contributes positively but less strongly, while a green destination image influences intentions primarily through evaluative pathways. A central contribution of the study is the identification of Green Heritage Capital (GHCA) as a compensatory motivational engine that can generate high intentions even when green image is weak. fsQCA further reveals two qualitatively distinct, equifinal motivational pathways—one norm-driven and the other heritage-value driven—while behavioral outcomes indicate a transition from social-normative influences at the intention stage to heritage-based and mixed configurations during the development of support for sustainable tourism and in behavior stages. NCA and SCA triangulate the robustness of this dual-route system by confirming quasi-necessary conditions and sufficiency patterns. Collectively, the results advance sustainable tourism theory by establishing culturally contingent mechanisms, demonstrating dual-route motivational architecture, and elucidating motivational transitions across behavioral stages. Practical implications aligned with SDG 8.9 highlight the need for interventions that leverage both normative cues and heritage-based value framing to cultivate long-term, internalized sustainability commitments in green–heritage destinations.
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References
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