Research on the driving mechanism of tourists’ ecological protection behavior in intangible cultural heritage sites

Despite the increasing focus on intangible cultural heritage tourism, there is a lack of research on the ecological protection behaviors of tourists in these contexts. With UNESCO's continuous refinement of the World Heritage system, intangible cultural heritage has gradually become a focal point for tourism development and protection. While such tourism can promote the preservation and transmission of heritage, it also introduces ecological environmental issues that need to be addressed. Therefore, exploring the driving mechanisms of tourists' ecological protection behavior holds significant practical value. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this study constructs a driving model of tourists' ecological protection behavior. It examines the influence of behavioral attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and personal norms on tourists' willingness to engage in ecological protection. By distributing questionnaires both offline and online, we analyzed data from 312 valid responses. The results indicate that all four factors have a significant positive impact on tourists' willingness to engage in ecological protection behavior. Among these factors, personal norms and behavioral attitude have a relatively larger influence. The findings provide valuable references for intangible cultural heritage sites in China and regions with similar cultural and tourism dynamics.