Effect of natural atmospherics, image, well-being, and satisfaction on human attachment to state parks and life satisfaction

Purpose This study aims to examine the complex interrelationships between cognitive evaluations (natural atmospherics performance and state park image), affective evaluations (emotional well-being and experiential satisfaction), and place attachment (place identity and place dependence) in shaping life satisfaction and revisit intention among state park visitors. Furthermore, this study investigates the moderating influence of cross-national differences between Korea and the USA. Design/methodology/approach Validity testing, metric-invariance testing and a structural analysis were used to collect data from two distinct cultures, which included the USA and Korea, via a self-administered survey of 620 people. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques to evaluate the proposed hypotheses. Findings The proposed complex interrelationships among cognitive and affective evaluations, place attachment, life satisfaction and intention are mostly supported with proof that place identity of tourists influences their life satisfaction and repeat visit intention. Moreover, the findings reveal that place attachment works similarly among diverse groups of tourists, which is regardless of their cross-national differences. The attachment bonds of visitors with state parks could be stronger than their cross-national differences. Practical implications The findings concluded that intention of repeat visits to state parks is a function of place attachment and affective evaluations as the direct antecedents of place attachment, which are influenced by the cognitive evaluations of tourists. State Park managers could promote state parks differently in different regions of the world by developing culturally diverse promotional strategies that will enhance traveler perception that are in conjunction with their cultural perspectives. Originality/value This research is one of the few studies that use and combine the attachment theory and the social exchange theory to understand human behaviors and relationships with nature. This study particularly focuses on noneconomic value domains as the natural atmospherics and image of state parks, which include a specific emphasis on the moderating role of cross-national differences among constructs in the USA and Korea. The proposed framework contains sufficient prediction power for repeat visit intentions.