Effects of Motivation and Sustainable Tourism Management on Post-Travel Attitudes of Island Tourists: The Moderating Role of the New Ecological Paradigm

Purpose: This study aims to: 1) examine the influence of tourism motivation on island tourists' post-travel attitudes; 2) assess the impact of tourists' perceptions of sustainable tourism management at island destinations on their post-travel attitudes; and 3) determine whether the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) moderates the effects of tourism motivation and perceptions of sustainable tourism on post-travel attitudes. Design/methodology/approach: Data from 300 Chinese tourists who visited Weizhou Island were analyzed in this study. An online survey was utilized to collect data, which was subsequently analyzed using IBM SPSS 26. The analysis included descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, reliability testing, and hierarchical regression. Findings: The results demonstrate that both tourism motivation and perceptions of environmental and economic sustainability significantly influence post-travel attitudes. Furthermore, the NEP was found to moderate the relationships between tourism motivation and post-travel attitudes, as well as between perceptions of sustainability and post-travel attitudes. Research limitations/implications: This research is limited by its focus on domestic tourists in China, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research should include additional socio-psychological variables to better understand the mechanisms shaping post-travel attitudes. Originality/value: This study contributes to the field of sustainable tourism by demonstrating how tourists' positive post-travel attitudes are influenced by destination efforts towards sustainability and shaped by tourists' worldviews.