Values and perceptions of customers on behavioral intentions in hard adventure tourism in the Mountain and rural areas: a comparison between Asian and Western tourists

The study examined tourists’ behavioral intentions toward hard adventure tourism in mountain and rural areas by investigating the impact of customer value, in addition to assessing the impact of perceived risk factors, self-congruity, and switching costs. The study uses multidimensional theoretical frameworks for customer value dynamics as the basis for model proposals and research hypotheses, using SEM models to analyze data from 503 surveys collected from tourists who have participated in hard adventure tours in the mountain and rural areas before. The results showed that customer value and actual self-image both positively impact satisfaction and behavioral intentions, while perceived risk has the opposite effect and rejects the influence of ideal self-image and switching costs. The study also found differences in behavioral intentions between Asian and Western tourists, and between different income groups. The research results are expected to make practical contributions to the tourism industry in general and travel businesses in particular, thereby having solutions to increase the satisfaction and behavioral intentions of tourists in the future with discovery tourism products.