Relationship Between Perceived Authenticity, Place Attachment, and Tourists’ Environmental Behavior in Industrial Heritage

Nengjie Qiu, Jiawei Wu (), Haibo Li (), Chen Pan and Jiaming Guo
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Nengjie Qiu: Architecture and Civil Engineering Institute, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China
Jiawei Wu: Architecture and Civil Engineering Institute, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China
Haibo Li: Architecture and Civil Engineering Institute, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China
Chen Pan: Architecture and Civil Engineering Institute, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China
Jiaming Guo: Architecture and Civil Engineering Institute, Guangdong University of Petrochemical Technology, Maoming 525000, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: As a crucial component of cultural heritage, industrial heritage possesses considerable cultural, historical, and economic significance. The key challenge for industrial heritage sites is to foster eco-conscious actions among visitors while boosting tourism spending. Based on the S-O-R theory, we constructed a relationship model between authenticity, place attachment and environmental responsibility behavior through structural equation modeling and tested it with the survey data of tourists in Maoming open-pit mine ecological park. Findings reveal that both the object-related authenticity and the existential authenticity of the experience enhance the sense of reliance and belonging to the place, with the former also directly promoting visitors’ eco-conscious actions. In contrast, experiential authenticity does not exert a direct effect on eco-conscious actions. The sense of place reliance and identity are found to be significantly and positively linked to eco-conscious behavior. Furthermore, place reliance and identity act as intermediaries in the relationship between object authenticity, experiential authenticity, and eco-conscious behavior, serving as a sequential mediating factor. The study suggests strategies such as augmenting financial support to preserve the authenticity of the site, prioritizing the enhancement of infrastructure and the creation of cultural offerings to elicit emotional responses, and reinforcing emotional bonds to encourage eco-conscious actions.

Keywords: industrial heritage; perceived authenticity; place attachment; environmentally responsible behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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