It is nearly impossible to consider a destination without also acknowledging its people as well as the relationship visitors have with such residents. Employing a hierarchical structure of destination image, this study examined how emotional solidarity along with cognitive and affective image explain conative image of Greece among Serbian visitors who had recently visited. Targeting Serbians living in Novi Sad, survey data were collected on-site as well as through online means, resulting in 401 completed questionnaires for analysis. Structural equation modeling revealed that five of the six proposed hypotheses were supported from the developed theoretical model. Overall, emotional solidarity, cognitive image and affective image were able to predict 70% (R² = 0.70) of the variance in conative image. Implications for theory and practice along with limitations and future research opportunities are discussed at the close of the paper.

Many studies have modeled several different concepts to explain destination loyalty; however, none have integrated place-oriented (e.g., destination image, place attachment) and people-oriented concepts (e.g., cultural distance, social distance, and emotional solidarity) for their relative influences on loyalty. The current study tested the influence of destination image (place-oriented) and perceived distances (people-oriented) as antecedents of place attachment (place-oriented) and emotional solidarity (people-oriented) for their relative influences on destination loyalty. Survey data collected from both domestic (n=260) and international (n=250) visitors to a city in Turkey, Antalya, revealed that place-oriented concepts (cognitive and affective destination images and place attachment) are better predictors of destination loyalty than people-oriented concepts (cultural distance, social distance, and emotional solidarity). Together, they explain about half of the variance in destination loyalty, 42% in past loyalty and 60% in future loyalty.

Though the tourism literature has experienced no shortage of research surrounding residents’ attitudinal support for tourism and tourism development, seldom has work focused on behavioral intentions of support, especially taking into consideration residents’ perceived relationship with tourists. That said, the aim of this study is to formulate a model that incorporates emotional solidarity and theory of planned behavior constructs to gauge residents’ behavioral intentions to support tourism. To test proposed model relationships between emotional solidarity, attitudinal support for tourism, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and behavioral intentions to support, data was collected from 740 residents of the widely-popular Mediterranean destination, Izmir (Turkey), and analyzed via structural equation modelling. Results revealed that each of the six proposed hypotheses were supported in the theoretical model. The three factors of emotional solidarity (i.e., welcoming nature, sympathetic understanding, and emotional closeness) uniquely explained 45% (R²_SMC = 0.45) of the variance in attitudinal support for tourism. In turn, attitudinal support, along with perceived behavioral control and subjective norms, explained 42% (R²_SMC = 0.42) of the variance in behavioral intentions to support tourism within Izmir. Implications for theory and practice along with limitations and future research opportunities are discussed at the close of the paper.

In light of the recent conflicts in Carthage over land use, cultural heritage preservation, and sustainable tourism, this work utilized a value-belief-norm (VBN) theoretical framework to consider psychological antecedents of residents’ behavioral intentions to support cultural heritage tourism. As such, personal values, cultural worldview, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility, and subjective norms were considered antecedents of intentions to support cultural heritage tourism. Data were collected from 475 Carthage residents in nine neighborhoods adjacent to UNESCO World Heritage Sites using an on-site self-administered questionnaire. The proposed model was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis (to demonstrate sound psychometric properties across all 11 factors within the model), followed by structural equation modelling. Overall, 15 of the 19 proposed hypotheses were supported, ultimately contributing to 28% of the variance explained in residents’ behavioral intentions to support cultural heritage tourism. This work not only provides support for the utilization of the VBN model within the context of cultural heritage tourism, it also deepens our understanding of the theoretical framework through the inclusion of the multi-dimensional construct cultural worldview.

Building on common identity theory and intergroup contact theory, this study sought to further understanding of people–place relationships by developing a holistic theoretical model to scrutinize place attachment as an antecedent of social distance, mediated by emotional solidarity and moderated by frequency of contact between tourists and residents. Visitor data analyzed with SEM revealed that place dependence is a significant predictor of social distance given it affects affinity positively and avoidance negatively, both of which are mediated by the three dimensions of emotional solidarity. Furthermore, the mediated relationships (via emotional solidarity) between place attachment and social distance vary by level of visitors’ frequency of interaction with residents. This study expands current theorization by examining the merits of emotional solidarity as an affective link in a tourist cognitive-behavioral model. From a practical standpoint, DMOs need to understand these construct linkages and include residents in their marketing strategies to increase repeat visitation.

For tourism to be entirely sustainable, one cannot travel. This is impossible. This paradox is particularly evident within last chance tourism (LCT), where tourists, seeking experiences with vanishing animals and land/seascapes, can accelerate the decline of those very attractions. Though recent studies hint that those with the highest intentions to visit LCT destinations are also some of the most concerned with climate change, no study has assessed the psychological drivers that may help explain why individuals are increasingly engaging in this paradox. Drawing on the VBN model, this research examines a theoretical framework to assess the psychological drivers behind individuals’ intention to engage in environmentally responsible behavior while traveling and, ultimately, their desire to participate in LCT. Results reveal that a set of environmentally referent cognitions (i.e., values, environmental worldview, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility) lead to personal norms activation, which then influence tourists’ intent to behave in pro-sustainable ways and, ultimately, individuals’ intentions to engage in LCT. Findings are important as they further confirm the benefits of using VBN theory within an LCT context. For practitioners, this research strengthens the appeal of sustainable tourism operations to secure business and receive positive word-of-mouth from potential LCT tourists.