Supervisory guidance, convenience orientation and tourist deviant behavior intentions: a study from a behavioral economics perspective

Purpose Tourist deviance, including littering and vandalism, can undermine destination sustainability, yet effective ways to curb such behavior remain underexplored. Drawing on nudge theory and prospect theory, this study examines how supervisory guidance from tour guides and host communities shapes tourists' attitudes and intentions toward deviant behavior. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 283 domestic tourists visiting a remote destination in Vietnam. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed relationships and the moderating role of convenience orientation. Findings Supervisory guidance reduces both favorable attitudes toward deviance and intentions to engage in deviant behavior. Convenience orientation weakens the effect of supervisory guidance on attitudes but not on behavioral intentions, suggesting that convenience-oriented tourists may retain favorable views of deviance while still responding to direct supervision. Tour guides have a stronger influence on behavioral intentions, whereas host communities are more effective in reshaping attitudes. Originality/value This study distinguishes the effects of two sources of supervisory guidance and clarifies how convenience orientation shapes tourists' responses to behavioral interventions. The findings extend the application of nudge theory and prospect theory to tourist deviance and identify complementary roles for guides and residents. Destination managers should combine visible supervision with convenience-oriented choice architecture, using tour guides to deter misconduct and host communities to reshape tourists' evaluations of deviant behavior.