Place Identity and Environmental Conservation in Heritage Tourism: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior to Iranian Rural Heritage Villages

Zabih-Allah Torabi (), Mohammad Reza Rezvani, Colin Michael Hall, Pantea Davani and Boshra Bakhshaei
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Zabih-Allah Torabi: Department of Geography and Rural Planning, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14117-13116, Iran
Mohammad Reza Rezvani: Department of Human Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran
Colin Michael Hall: Department of Management, Marketing, and Tourism, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Pantea Davani: Department of Human Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran 1417935840, Iran
Boshra Bakhshaei: Department of Geography and Rural Planning, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 14117-13116, Iran

Tourism and Hospitality, 2025, vol. 6, issue 3, 1-28

Abstract: This study examines the determinants of environmentally responsible behavior among tourists in the heritage villages of Paveh County, Iran, through an integrated theoretical framework that synthesizes place-related psychological constructs with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Employing structural equation modeling on data collected from 443 tourists across three heritage villages (July–November 2024), the investigation tested comparative theoretical models with differing explanatory capacities. The baseline TPB model confirmed significant positive effects of environmental attitudes (β = 0.388), environmental norms (β = 0.398), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.547) on behavioral intentions, which subsequently influenced environmental behavior (β = 0.561). The extended model incorporating place-related variables demonstrated enhanced explanatory power, with the R 2 values increasing from 48.2% to 52.7% for behavioral intentions and from 49.2% to 54.7% for actual behavior. Notably, place identity exhibited dual psychological functions: moderating the intention–behavior relationship (β = 0.155) and mediating between place attachment and environmental behavior (β = 0.163). These findings advance sustainable tourism theory by illuminating the complex pathways through which place-based psychological connections influence environmental behavior formation in heritage contexts, suggesting that more sophisticated theoretical frameworks are required for understanding and promoting sustainable practices in culturally significant destinations.

Keywords: sustainable tourism; environmental behavior; place identity; place attachment; heritage villages; theory of planned behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z3 Z30 Z31 Z32 Z33 Z38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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