Rationality or morality? A comparative study of pro-environmental intentions of local and nonlocal visitors in nature-based destinations

People's pro-environmental behavior (PEB) is commonly recognized as a result of individual rationality or moral considerations. However, the compative roles of rationality and morality in fostering such behavior in the tourism/leisure context remains to be investigated. This paper uses the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the norm-activation model (NAM) as representatives of rational and moral notions, and examines the relative strengths of the models in explaining visitors' pro-environmental intentions in nature-based destinations. An empirical study was conducted in three natural parks in Hangzhou, China. Local visitors (N = 323) and tourists (N = 231) participated in the survey. Structural equation modeling was adopted. It is found that although both the rational and the moral models could explain the participants' pro-environmental intentions, yet the NAM model was superior, especially in interpreting nonlocal tourist pro-environmental intentions. Recommendations are provided for a more holistic understanding and effective promotion of PEB in nature-based destinations.