Analysis of participatory behavior of tourists in the protection forest based on the theory of planned behavior (Case study: Qalehgol forest area of Khorramabad city)
Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Forestry,,Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lorestan University, Lorestan , Iran
2 Department of Development Rural, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lorestan University, Lorestan, Iran
Abstract
Nature-based tourism is one of the important types of tourism that is considered as a suitable tool for of natural resources protection. The present descriptive-survey research using the theory of planned behavior, was conducted to analyze the participatory behavior of tourists in forest protection in the ​​Qaleh Gol, Khorramabad city. For this purpose, 364 tourists who had visited the study area were surveyed by available sampling method. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The content validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by experts and the validity of the structure and the reliability of the instrument were obtained by examining the fit of the model at two levels of the measurement model and the structural model. Findings showed that the initial model of planned behavior (TPB), which explains 63% and 52% of the intentions and environmental behavior of tourists in forest protection, respectively. The three main variables of the theory of planned behavior included attitude (ATT), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and subjective beliefs (SN), all of which had positive effects on tourists' intentions to protect the forest. Extended planned behavior with the inclusion of the environmental concern (EC) variable increased by 4% the power to explain the variable of tourist behavior.In the present study, the attitude of tourists was identified as the most important factor, so policymakers can maintain it by emphasizing it. Natural resources and forests are effective. On the other hand, it is necessary to formulate and implement supportive policies for forest protection with an emphasis on tourist participation.
Keywords
Abbasi, A., Yadollahi, S.H., Beygi, J., 2017. Investigating Consumers' Intention to Purchase Green Products: using the Theory of Planned Behavior with Environmental Concern and Knowledge. Journal of New Marjeting Research 31(4), 111-130. (In Persian)
Ahmmadi, P., Rahimian, M., Ghanbari Movahed, R., 2021. Theory of planned behavior to predict consumer behavior in using products irrigated with purified wastewater in Iran consumer. Journal of Cleaner Production 296, 1-12.
Ajzen, I., 1991. The theory of planned behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50(2), 179-211.
Andereck, K.L., 2009. Tourists’ perceptions of environmentally responsible innovations at tourism businesses. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 17(4), 489-499.
Bayih, B.E., Singh, A., 2020. Modeling domestic tourism: motivations, satisfaction and tourist behavioral intentions. Journal of Heliyon 6, 1-17.
Botetzagias, L., Dima, A.F., Malesios, C., 2015. Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior in the context of recycling: The role of moral norms and of demographic predictors Resources Conservation and Recycling 95, 58-67.
Chen, M., 2015. An examination of the value-belief-norm theory model in predicting pro-environmental behaviour in Taiwan. Asian Journal of Social Psychology 18(2), 145-151.
De Bruijn, G.J., 2010. Understanding college students’ fruit consumption. Integrating habit strength in the theory of planned behaviour. Journal of Appetite 54(1), 16-22.
Decline of Oak Forests in Lorestan Province using Satellite Images and BFAST Model. Researches in Geographical Sciences 20(57), 265-280. (In Persian)
Derikvand, M., Ghasemi aghbash, F., Adeli, K., Gholamrezaei, S., 2019. Evaluating the Effect of Khoramzal Highway Construction on Socioeconomic Issues of Forest-Based Rural Households Case study: Ghaleh Naseer Village, Lorestan Province. Journal of Plant Ecosystem Conservation 7(15), 237-252. (In Persian)
Dijkstra, T.K. Henseler, J., 2015. Consistent and asymptotically normal PLS estimators for linear structural equations. Comput. Stat. Data Anal. 81, 10-23.
Esmaeilizade, H., Tabreizi, N., Ramezanzadeh Lasbouyi, M., 2019. Assessment of participation behavior of the local community in the development of agricultural tourism (case study: Sisakht city). Journal of Urban Structure and Function Studies 6(20), 127-146. (In Persian)
Farhadi, P., Soosani, J., Adeli, K., Alijani, V., 2014. Investigation of positioning and species diversity changes caused by local communities in Zagros forests (Case Study: Ghalehgol forest, Zagros, IRAN). Journal of Wood & Forest Science and Technology 20 (4), 61-80. (In Persian)
Gao, L., Wang, S., Li, J., Li, H., 2017. Application of the extended theory of planned behavior to understand individual’s energy saving behavior in workplaces. Resources. Conservation and Recycling 127, 107-113.
Goh, E., Ritchie, B., Wang, J., 2017. Non-compliance in national parks: An extension of the theory of planned behavior model with pro-environmental values. Tourism Management 59, 123- 127.
Grilli, G., Notaro, S., 2019. Exploring the influence of an extended theory of planned behavior on preferences and willingness to pay for participatory natural resourcesmanagement. Journal of Environmental Management 232, 902-909.
Hegetschweiler, K.T., Loon, N.V., Ryser, A., Rusterholz, H.P., Bruno, B., 2009. Effects of fireplace use on forest vegetation and amount of woody debris in suburban forests in northwestern Switzerland. Environmental Engineering 43(2), 1-11.
Hejazi, Y., Eshaghi, S., 2014. Explaining the environmental behavior of villagers in the western provinces of the country based on the planned behavior model. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development 45(2), 257-267. (In Persian)
Hemayatkhah jahromi, M., ershad, F., danesh, P., Ghorbani, M., 2017. Explore Environmental Behavior Based on the Model of TPB. Journal of Social Development 11(3), 31-66. (In Persian)
Jafari, S., Najarzade, M., Jafari, N., Rajabi, N., 2017. The Structural Relationship of Perceived Value and Tourist Satisfaction with Environmentally Responsible Behavior: The Mediating Role of Tourist Activity Involvement. Journal management& accounting School 12(37), 115-151. (In Persian)
Jahani, A., Saffariha, M., 2020. The prediction model of tourism impact assessment in vegetation canopy cover of Qhamishloo National park and Wildlife Refuge. Journal of Natural Environment 73(2), 257-270. (In Persian)
Joachim, O., Kamarudin, N., Aliagha, G., Ufere, K., 2015. Theoretical explanations of environmental expectations of clients on green building demand and investment. Earth and Environmental Science 23, 1-17.
Juvan, E., Dolnicar, S., 2016. The attitude-behaviour gap in sustainable tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 48, 76-95.
Khoshmaram, M., Shiri, N., Shinnar, R.S., Savari, M., 2020. Environmental support and entrepreneurial behavior among Iranian farmers: the mediating roles of social and human capital. Journal of Small Business Management 58(5), 1064-1088. (In Persian)
Kiatkawsin, K., Han, H., 2017. Young travelers' intention to behave pro-environmentally: Merging the value-belief-norm theory and the expectancy theory. Tourism Management 59, 76-88.
Lee, T.H., 2013. Environmentally responsible behavior of naturebased tourists: Related concepts measurement, and research. Journal of Tourism & Hospitality 2(2), 1-2.
Li, L., Wang, L.Y., 2016. An empirical study on the effect of eco-tourism visitors’ environmental attitudes. School of Humanities and Economic Management China University of Geosciences, Beijing. 100.
Liu, J., An, K., Jang, S., 2020. A model of tourists’ civilized behaviors: Toward sustainable coastal tourism in China Tourism Management Perspectives, 35.
Mahdavi, D., Sojasi, H., Mahmmodi, H., 2019. Analyzing Environmental Attitudes and Behavior of Nomadic Communities after the Implementation of Participatory Management Plan for Forest and Rangeland (Case Study: Bazoft District of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province). Journal of Geography and Environmental Planning 30(2). (In Persian).
Mehmetoglu, M., 2010. Factors influencing the willingness to behave environmentally friendly at home and holiday setting. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism 10(4), 430-447.
Miller, D., Merrilees, B., Coghlan, A., 2015. Sustainable urban tourism: Understandingand developing visitor pro-environmentally behaviors. Sustainable Tourism 23(1), 26-46.
Modaberi, A., Mahdavi, A., Amirnejad, H., 2018. Estimating the Outdoor Recreation Value of Ghalehgol Forest Area of Lorestan Using Contingent Valuation Method. Journal of Wood & Forest Science and Technology 25(1), 145-165. (In Persian)
Motamedi Barabadi, S., Maleknia, R., Shayan, H., Almeida Garciacutea, F., 2020. Do the demographic factors can predict pro-environmental behavior of ecotourists? Journal of Natural Environment 73(2), 369-382.
Naeimi, A., Mehni Raftar, R., Sobhani, S.M. J., 2018. Investigating the Rural Women's Environmental Behavior in Halilrood Watershed Area of Jiroft County of Iran Using Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Village and Development 21(3), 97-121. (In Persian)
Najjarzadeh, M., Jafari, S., Jafar, N., Rajabi, N., 2018. The Structural Relationship of Environmental Attitude and Environmental Knowledge with Behavioral Intentions: The Mediating Role of Tourist Satisfaction and Perceived Benefit. Journal of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development 7(1), 127-142. (In Persian)
Nguyen, T.H.‚ 2009. Human ecological analysis of land and forest use by theHmong people forharmonising with the governmental reforestation program in Vietnam‚ Ph. D. Dissertation, Geound Hydrowissenschaften der Technischen Dresden.
Panwanitdumrong, K., Chen, C.L., 2021. Investigating factors influencing tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior with extended theory of planned behavior for coastal tourism in Thailand. Marine Pollution Bulletin 169, 1-11.
Rahimi Faizabadi, F., Yazdanpanah, M., Forouzani, M., MohammadZadeh, S., Burton, R., 2017. Explanation of Farmers' Water Conservation Behaviors Using Extended Planned Behavior Theory: The Case of Farmers in Aleshtar County. Iranian Agricultural Extension and Education Journal 12(2), 1-12.
Ramkissoon, H., Smith, L.D.G., Weiler, B., 2013. Testing the dimensionality of place attachment and its relationships with place satisfaction and proenvironmental behaviors: A structural equation modelling approach. Tourism Management 36, 552-566.
Safa, L., Mangeli, N., Ganjkhanlo, M.M., 2017. Affecting Factor on Villagers’ Pro-environmental Behavior in Khodabandeh County Based on Theory of Planned Behavior. Journal of Environmental. Education & Sustainable Development 6(2), 69-81.
Savari, M., Asadi, Z., 2020. Identifying Factors Affecting Rural Women's Behavior to Prevent Forest Land Use Changes in Lorestan Province. Journal of Natural Environment. 37(2), 313-326. (In Persian)
Shao, L., 2014. Relationship between Tourists Environmental Attitude and Environmental Behavior (In Chinese with English Abstract). Dalian University of Technology.
Shiravand, H., Khaledi, S., Behzadi, S., Sanjabi, H.A., 2002. Monitoring and Assessing the Changes in the Coverage and
Tkaczynski, A., Rundle-Thiele, S.T., Ruong, V.D., 2020. Influencing tourists' pro-environmental behaviours: A social marketing application. Tourism Management Perspectives 36.
Ulker-Demirel, E., Ciftci, G., 2020. A systematic literature review of the theory of planned behavior in tourism, leisure and hospitality management research. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 43, 209-219.
Wang, C., Zhang, J., Xiao, X., Sun, F., Xiao, M., Qingyu, S.H., 2020. Examining the dimensions and. mechanisms of tourists’environmental behavior: A theory of planned behavior approach. Journal of Cleaner Production 273, 1-10
)