Understanding tourists’ ecological protection intentions in intangible cultural heritage tourism: an extended TPB approach from Sri Lanka

Purpose The present study aims to investigate the role of psychological factors on ecological protection behavioural engagement of tourists visiting Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) sites in Sri Lanka aligns with the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). It contributes to the existing research by investigating the perceptions of tourists for ICH sites and how they lead to the formation of policies that combine economic development with cultural protection. The study investigates the impact of attitudes, perceived behavioural control and personal and subjective norms on tourists' intention to behave pro-environmentally. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative and positivist research methods were used to achieve the quantitative outcomes of the study. Data were gathered from 384 local and international tourists who had visited major ICH sites in Sri Lanka's Central Province using a structured questionnaire through a convenience sampling method. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences statistical package. Descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to address the research questions and do the hypotheses testing of the study. Findings The factors affecting ecological protection including attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and personal norm have a significant impact on behavioural intention. Perceived behavioural control was the most powerful predictor, while other factors also showed a significant impact on behavioural intention and confirmed the TPB. Sri Lankan tourists had more pro-environmental intentions than the international tourists based on the mean comparison test. Research limitations/implications The findings highlight the importance of integrating behavioural, moral and infrastructural strategies in sustainable ICH tourism management. Tourism authorities, destination managers and policymakers should enhance eco-infrastructure, environmental communication and culturally sensitive visitor guidance to encourage responsible tourist behaviour and support the long-term preservation of ICH and ecological sustainability. Originality/value The research gives empirical evidence from the South Asian ICH tourism setting, which confirms that personal norms should be considered in TPB. It is informative both theoretically and practically in enhancing environmental conservation practices within the tourism sector of ICH.