Rural Tourism Experiences and Visitors’ Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions and Support: An S–O–R Analysis from Taiwan’s Siraya National Scenic Area

This study examines how visitors’ perceptions of rural destination attributes are translated into perceived experiential value and self-reported pro-environmental behavioral intentions and support. This article focuses on rural tourism rather than agritourism alone; agricultural activities and local produce are treated as two components within a broader rural destination-attribute portfolio. Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) framework, the study positions perceived rural destination attributes as place-based stimuli, perceived experiential value as the organismic evaluative mechanism, and three distinguishable response dimensions—green consumer behavior, willingness to pay for conservation, and environmental citizenship support—as pro-environmental responses. A mixed-method design was adopted. Qualitative laddering interviews with 51 onsite visitors generated attribute–consequence–value elements, implication matrices, and hierarchical value maps that informed the development of context-specific measurement items. A survey of 693 visitors to Taiwan’s Siraya National Scenic Area was then analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Additional validity checks for the final analytical sample indicated acceptable reliability, discriminant validity (all HTMT ratios < 0.85), and no dominant single-factor common-method pattern (Harman first factor = 34.20%). The structural results support the proposed S–O–R pathway: rural tourism attributes strongly influenced perceived experiential value (β = 0.72), while both attributes (β = 0.25) and perceived experiential value (β = 0.37) positively predicted pro-environmental behavioral intentions and support. The findings should be interpreted as evidence of self-reported environmental intentions and support rather than observed ecological outcomes. The study contributes by clarifying how a rural destination-attribute portfolio may generate experiential value, and in turn, environmentally supportive visitor responses.