TOURIST SATISFACTION AND PLACE ATTACHMENT: A VALIDATION IN GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, HANGZHOU, CHINA

Green infrastructure (GI) constitutes important urban spaces and physical environments that contribute to scenic beauty, recreation opportunities, health, and wellness for tourists. However, the role of GI in tourism has not received much attention. This study aimed to validate the influence of tourist satisfaction on their place attachment in the context of GI. A self-administered survey was conducted at the selected GI locations of prominent tourist sites in Hangzhou West Lake, Zhejiang province, China. A sample of 225 domestic tourists was surveyed using the convenient sampling approach. The data were analysed using correlation analysis, linear regression, and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. The major findings of this study validate the positive and significant influence of tourist satisfaction towards place attachment when tourists visit GI. Further results indicate that tourist satisfaction and place attachment significantly differed regarding education level. The findings provide empirical evidence for a deeper understanding of the role of GI in tourism.