The mechanisms underlying citizen responsible tourism behavior: evidence from tourists in Beijing

Introduction As sustainable development evolves, responsible conduct in tourism has emerged as a significant area of study. Tourism activities take place in public areas governed by social conventions. Thus, citizen responsible tourism behavior is influenced by contextual circumstances and a consciousness of responsibility. Nevertheless, current research predominantly employs a unilateral perspective and lacks comprehensive analysis, inadequately addressing the significance of responsibility cognition. This study utilizes the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theory to address this gap. It incorporates place attachment, environmental attitude, destination social responsibility, and Sustainability Intelligence as antecedent factors to analyze their impact on citizen responsible tourism behavior. It further examines the mediation function of perceived environmental responsibility in this process. Methods A questionnaire survey was administered to 571 visitors to Beijing, and structural equation modeling was used for the empirical analysis. Results The findings demonstrate that all suggested antecedent factors substantially affect citizen responsible tourism behavior, with perceived environmental responsibility serving as a crucial mediating variable between these factors and that behavior. Discussion This study expands the paradigm of citizen responsible tourism behavior and provides additional empirical evidence for the application of relevant ideas in tourism contexts. The findings effectively promote travelers' sense of responsibility and foster responsible behavior, thereby aiding the sustainable development of tourism destinations.