Revealing the Co-Creation Mechanism of Tourists Supporting the Sustainable Development of Rural Art Tourism Through a Hybrid Model of PLS-SEM and ANN

Rural land art festivals serve as an important practical vehicle for integrating urban and rural culture and tourism. They constitute a crucial component of rural tourism in China and play a key role in the sustainable development of rural areas. However, in practice, these festivals are generally confronted with the dilemma of superficial tourist participation and insufficient sustainability. This study aims to uncover the intrinsic psychological evolution mechanism underlying tourists’ responses to external stimuli and their value co-creation. The S-O-R model and the two-factor theory are integrated to construct an analytical framework: “external stimulus–psychological sequence–behavioral response.” Using “Modern Fields” as the case study and 437 valid data points, an empirical analysis is conducted with PLS-SEM and artificial neural networks (ANNs). The results indicate that tourist participation is directly driven by destination quality. Content stickiness exerts an indirect influence through perceived value. Perceived value facilitates value co-creation only when it is fully mediated by tourist participation. The path from participation to co-creation is significantly strengthened by restorative environmental perception. A multi-group analysis further reveals that inexperienced tourists exhibit a “stimulus-driven” characteristic, whereas experienced tourists follow a “value internalization” path. The ANN analysis further shows that the strongest nonlinear predictive power for co-creation behavior is held by restorative environmental perception. A significant direct nonlinear effect is also exerted by destination quality. The evolutionary nodes and boundary conditions of tourists’ psychological sequence during this process are revealed. The boundary effect of restorative environmental perception as a catalyst for rural art tourism is demonstrated. A theoretical basis and practical insights are thereby provided for the segmented operation and sustainable development of these activities.