Beyond Good Intentions: A Dual‐Model Analysis of Youth Workforce Sustainability in Depopulating Tourism Regions

Population decline and aging pose growing challenges to economic vitality and labor market sustainability, particularly in remote regions. In Japan, national park‐related municipalities increasingly rely on tourism as a strategy for regional revitalization, yet attracting young residents to participate in the local tourism workforce remains a critical challenge. While existing research on national park tourism has largely examined residents' perceptions and socioeconomic impacts, the perspectives of young residents as potential labor force actors have received limited attention. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the factors shaping young residents' willingness to engage in tourism‐related employment in Japan's national park municipalities. A survey of young residents was conducted, and the extended Theory of Planned Behavior was applied in combination with Sustainable Development Theory and Self‐Determination Theory. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling, the results indicate that both sustainability values and psychological needs play important roles in shaping work intentions toward the tourism sector. In particular, career development and economic benefits, environmental attitude, competence, and autonomy were found to be central drivers of employment intention. This study develops a multi‐level framework that explains tourism employment intentions as the joint outcome of structural opportunities and intrinsic psychological motivations. Beyond its theoretical contribution, this study provides practical insights for protected area governance and advances understanding of workforce sustainability in nature‐based tourism.