Beyond motivation: how behavioural involvement shapes satisfaction in butterfly watching

Studying entomotourism motivation is crucial for environmental stewardship, animal protection awareness, and wildlife observation. Building on validated motivation, involvement, and satisfaction scales from the entomotourism literature, we adapted these measures to the butterfly-watching context and conducted the first empirical study, to our knowledge, to examine motivational factors in butterfly watching. We investigated the influence of butterfly watchers’ push and pull factors on behavioural involvement and satisfaction. Data were collected from 254 national and international butterfly watchers in Türkiye using convenience sampling. The study tested a conceptual model using structural equation modelling (SEM). Results showed that pull factors, such as professional guides and butterfly resources, and behavioural involvement positively influenced satisfaction, while push factors, such as competition and spiritual refreshment, affected only behavioural involvement. The findings highlight the role of destination-related attributes in enhancing satisfaction and suggest that deeper engagement opportunities can improve visitor experience and conservation outcomes.