Does perceived biodiversity affect tourist citizenship behavioral intentions in wildlife tourism destinations? A perspective of awe and psychological ownership

Wildlife tourism is experiencing rapid growth as people's desire to engage with nature intensifies, making the improvement of tourist behavior in wildlife destinations a crucial research issue. Against this backdrop, the current study, grounded in the cognitive-affective personality system theory and the S-O-R theory, scrutinizes how perceived biodiversity impacts tourist citizenship behavioral intentions (TCBI) by developing and testing a serial mediation model. The results reveal that perceived biodiversity positively influences TCBI, with awe and psychological ownership serving as mediators. Furthermore, the extent to which perceived biodiversity affects psychological ownership is enhanced under higher levels of existing connection to wildlife. This research represents a crucial attempt to investigate TCBI and its internal mechanisms in the context of wildlife tourism. Destination management organizations (DMOs), product developers, and other tourism practitioners may derive valuable theoretical and managerial insights from this study.