Do destination personality and self-congruity matter for the pro-environmental behavioral intention? Nature-based pro-environmental behavior

PurposeThe study aims to draw on the self-congruity theory to investigate the relationship among destination personality (DP), self-congruity and tourists' pro-environmental behavioral intention (BI) among Guangzhou citizens who have experienced nature-based tourism (NBT).Design/methodology/approachThe survey-based quantitative research was divided into two rounds, namely, a preliminary study exploring the dimensions of DP and the verification of whether the DP dimensions that significantly affect pro-environmental BI in step one would be selected for the main research to validate the conceptual model.FindingsThe results suggest that wholesome, one of the destination personalities, strongly predicts tourists' pro-environmental BI, while actual self-congruity plays a mediating role between sincere, another DP, and tourists' pro-environmental BI.Practical implicationsIn practice, it offers multidimensional knowledge and robust evidence-based recommendations for the sustainable development and destination branding of NBT destinations in the post-epidemic era.Originality/valueThe study presents pioneering work that reveals previously underestimated factors influencing pro-environmental BI.