Perceived Value, Place Identity, and Behavioral Intention: An Investigation on the Influence Mechanism of Sustainable Development in Rural Tourism

Abstract

Rural tourism has been a hot spot in tourism studies in recent years. This research uses Attitude Theory to investigate the influence mechanism of tourists’ perceived value and place identity on their behavioral intention in rural tourism in Zhejiang Province, China. The study adopts the PLS-SEM method to process the data. The results indicate that tourists’ behavioral intention is positively influenced by their perceived value and place identity. Additionally, perceived value has a positive impact on tourists’ place identity, and place identity plays a positive intermediary role between perceived value and behavioral intention. Meanwhile, cultural value is perceived as having the greatest influence on place identity and behavioral intention. Therefore, rural tourist destinations should focus on cultural value and the tourists’ sense of place to promote sustainable rural tourism development.