How Social Cognitive Factors Influence Rural Tourism Entrepreneurial Intention: A Moderated Mediation Model

We developed and tested an integrated social cognitive theory–entrepreneurial event model ( SCT – EEM ) framework to explain rural tourism entrepreneurial intentions in a sample of 472 final‐year tourism and hospitality undergraduates in rural Zhejiang Province, China. Using partial least squares structural equation modeling ( PLS – SEM ) and data from field surveys (April–May 2024), we found that perceived policy support exerts a direct effect ( β = 0.130, p = 0.011). Individual ambidexterity and parents' socioeconomic status indirectly influenced intentions through perceived desirability and perceived feasibility. Importantly, students' place of origin and rural tourism work experience significantly moderated these cognitive–intention relationships (e.g., effect of feasibility on intention: β = 0.469 for rural‐origin vs. β = 0.094 for urban‐origin students, p = 0.004). This study advances SCT – EEM integration by introducing individual ambidexterity as a novel antecedent and demonstrating how geographic embeddedness shapes rural tourism entrepreneurship among undergraduates.