Destination development in a planned capital: how sustainability and halal attributes shape prospective visit intention to Ibu Kota Nusantara

Planned capitals represent an emerging form of urban tourism development, where destinations must be imagined and marketed before cities become operational. This study examines how perceived destination sustainability and halal attributes shape prospective visit intention towards Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), Indonesia’s new planned capital, contributing to urban tourism research on destination formation in emerging tourism cities. A quantitative cross-sectional survey of 412 respondents evaluated IKN as a prospective destination, with data analysed using structural equation modelling to examine relationships among destination sustainability, halal attributes, social wellbeing, destination image, destination preference and prospective visit intention. Findings show that sustainability and halal attributes shape prospective evaluations through social wellbeing and destination image, with social wellbeing mediating the link between destination attributes and preference/image; image and preference subsequently strengthen visit intention. Sustainability plays a stronger role than halal attributes. This study makes three contributions to urban tourism scholarship: it shows destination image formation can occur pre-operationally, extending destination lifecycle theory to anticipatory image construction; it demonstrates sustainability and cultural attributes as complementary signals of ethical governance in emerging tourism cities; and it identifies social wellbeing as a key psychological mechanism linking destination attributes to visit intention. Implications for planners and marketers of new planned cities are discussed.