Role of Attitude Toward Destination on the Relationship between Travel Motivation, Destination Image, Risk Perception, and Rural Tourism

Since the beginning of 2023, China has been in new normal conditions, and the tourism sector is gradually back to the previous level before the pandemic.It has primarily depended on domestic travellers in recent years as inbound tourism has almost stagnated.Rural tourism, as a primary type of tourism in China, has attracted most domestic visitors and has been considered an effective strategy to simultaneously promote the economy of rural areas.However, it is still unknown what makes visitors intend to go to rural tourism after experiencing many restrictions in China.The study has examined the direct and indirect effects of leading indicators, travel motivation, destination image, travel risk perception, and attitude toward destination on rural tourism intention with empirical research.Further, as quantitative research to estimate the mediating role of attitude toward destination, a simple random sampling is used to collect data via questionnaire.The Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed to predict the structural model derived from the sample size of Jiangxi Province's urban residents in China.A pilot study was conducted, and the reliability and validity of the constructs were tested with 320 respondents from Jiangxi Province.This study aims to provide both theoretical and empirical insights.The study sheds light on the needs and concerns of potential tourists, benefiting rural tourism stakeholders.