Investigation on the activation mechanism of pro-sustainable behavior intention in marine tourism

Abstract

Sustaining coastal and marine destinations depends heavily on tourists’ willingness to act in environmentally responsible ways. Having incorporated Behavioral Reasoning Theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study develops an integrated model linking travelers’ reasons for and against sustainable conduct to attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, moral obligation, daily eco-practices, and intention. Six reasoning dimensions—financial, environmental, and social benefits versus cost, regulatory, and support barriers—were measured. Structural equation modeling showed that positive reasons strongly enhance attitude, norms, and perceived control, whereas negative reasons mainly erode attitude and control. Moral obligation was the most powerful direct driver of pro-sustainable intention, while daily eco-practices displayed no significant direct effect. Necessary condition analysis confirmed that sufficient levels of positive reasons, favorable attitude, perceived control, and moral obligation are indispensable for strong intention. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis uncovered several causal combinations, indicating that strong moral obligation can offset weak norms and that abundant positive reasons can counter moderate barriers. These insights advance understanding of sustainable behavior in marine tourism and offer managers practical levers—amplifying positive reasons, fostering moral obligation, and lowering key barriers—to encourage environmentally responsible visitor actions.