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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. For. Glob. Change
Sec. People and Forests
Volume 7 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ffgc.2024.1489170
This article is part of the Research Topic Recreational forests for co-benefits: conservation, tourism and well-being View all 3 articles

Application of Social Cognitive Theory to Determine Shaping Factors of Environmental Intention and Behaviors of Ecotourist in Forest Areas

Provisionally accepted
Sahar Erfanian Sahar Erfanian 1Rahim Maleknia Rahim Maleknia 2*Aureliu Florin Halalisan Aureliu Florin Halalisan 3
  • 1 Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, Hubei Province, China
  • 2 Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
  • 3 Transilvania University of BraČ™ov, Brasov, Brasov, Romania

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Ecotourism as a responsible travel to natural areas is proposed as a strategy for forest conservation by enhancing the livelihoods of local communities. However, engaging in environmentally friendly behaviors during forest visit is a crucial factor in achieving this conservation. This study aimed to examine the determinants of intention and actual environmental behavior among ecotourists during their visits to forests. Utilizing social cognitive theory as the theoretical framework, the data from 409 visitors of recreational forest were analyzed. After confirming the validity and reliability of the data, structural equation modeling was employed for analysis. The results indicated that the model could explain 59% of the behavioral intention and 27% of the actual environmentally friendly behaviors of ecotourists during their forest visits. Additionally, social influence and the behaviors of other ecotourists were identified as two significant determinants of individuals' behavioral intention. Self-efficacy and behavioral intention also emerged as significant factors which shape the actual environmental behaviors of tourists, positively. The findings suggest that social expectations, learning from fellow tourists, and enhancing individuals' abilities while addressing barriers to exhibiting environmentally friendly behaviors should be prioritized in promotional planning for ecotourism.

    Keywords: self-efficacy, Forest-based ecotourism, Forest conservation, pro-environmental behavior, ecotourism

    Received: 31 Aug 2024; Accepted: 07 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Erfanian, Maleknia and Halalisan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Rahim Maleknia, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.