The Effects of Tourism Motivation and Perceived Value on Tourists’ Behavioral Intention Toward Forest Health Tourism: The Moderating Role of Attitude

Yujiao Zhao, Jun Yang (), Juanru Song and Yiqing Lu
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Yujiao Zhao: School of Economics and Management, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Jun Yang: School of Economics and Management, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Juanru Song: School of Economics and Management, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China
Yiqing Lu: School of Economics and Management, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-27

Abstract: In the context of the accelerating aging of the global population, there is an increasing public concern for health and wellness, accompanied by a marked rise in apprehension regarding sub-health conditions. Concurrently, forest health tourism, as a nascent form of tourism, is widely acknowledged as a pivotal avenue allowing the tourism industry to pursue a green transformation. Previous studies have explored the links between motivating, perceiving, and behaving. However, little research has examined how tourism motivation might influence the long-term sustainability of forest health tourism sites. Therefore, this study builds on the SOR theoretical framework and uses SEM to clarify the effects of tourism motivation and perceived value on forest health tourism behavior. Meanwhile, the research model incorporates attitudes as a moderating variable to ascertain their impact. A sample of 527 valid tourists from China was analyzed and the results demonstrate the following: (1) entertainment motivation and leisure motivation have a significant positive effect on forest health tourism behavioral intention; (2) prestige motivation and cultural motivation do not have a significant positive effect on forest health tourism behavioral intention; (3) perceived value mediates between entertainment, prestige, cultural, and leisure motivations and forest health tourism behavioral intention; (4) attitude moderates the relationship between perceived value and behavioral intention in forest health tourism. These insights offer a theoretical framework for industry stakeholders seeking to attract tourists and pursue environmentally friendly, sustainable growth in forest wellness tourism. This study also has important practical implications on how forest health tourism is promoted and managed.

Keywords: SOR; forest health tourism; tourism motivation; perceived value; attitude; behavioral intention; structural equation model (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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