Public preferences for fundamental, ecological and cultural services of national park gateway communities in China

Purpose Gateway communities are powerful assistance for national parks. By providing fundamental, ecological and cultural services, they effectively promote their own development, the parks’ comprehensive functions and public welfare. Design/methodology/approach This study first employs the ABCDE psychological model to reveal how nature-based experiences influence public pro-environmental awareness and behaviors. To better improve nature-based experiences in gateway communities, this study further employs a choice experiment. It is used to explore the public preferences for specific services in gateway communities. Findings (1) High-quality nature-based experiences enhance public pro-environmental awareness and behaviors. (2) Public preferences are hierarchical for gateway community services, particularly for ecological services, followed by cultural services and finally fundamental services. (3) Public preferences are heterogeneous for ecological and cultural services. Travelers seeking relaxation or companionship with friends prefer ecological services, whereas those with more leisure time, staying accommodated in gateway communities, traveling for entertainment or traveling with elders’ value cultural services more. (4) Moreover, the public can be categorized into experience-focused, environment-focused and price-focused groups. Originality/value Accordingly, this study proposes to prioritize ecological services and innovate cultural services in gateway communities. It also recommends three types of communities with distinctive functions for different groups. These findings offer empirical insights for the man–land relationship and sustainability of national parks and other protected areas worldwide.