How does the tourist experience affect the conservation of World Heritage Sites via the stimulus‒organism‒response model? Mount Sanqingshan National Park, China

Tourist experiences significantly influence the conservation of World Heritage Sites (WHSs) through positive impacts on perceived value, satisfaction, and protection intentions. A study using Mount Sanqingshan National Park as a case study found that tourism involvement, service quality, and Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) attractiveness enhance tourists' perceptions and emotional attachments, which in turn support heritage conservation efforts. However, OUV attractiveness did not directly correlate with tourist satisfaction, and place attachment was not a strong predictor of protection intentions. The research employs the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model and structural equation modeling to analyze 565 visitor responses, providing actionable insights for sustainable tourism management and WHS conservation strategies.

Nian, S., Bao, J., Chen, Y., Zhang, X., & Chen, Y. (2025). How does the tourist experience affect the conservation of World Heritage Sites via the stimulus‒organism‒response model? Mount Sanqingshan National Park, China. Npj Heritage Science, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01550-z