When and How Tourists Engage in Citizenship Behavior: The Interactive Effect of Trait Gratitude and Positive Resident

Abstract

This study investigates when and how trait gratitude stimulates tourist citizenship behavior (TCB). Building on trait activation theory, the present study proposes a mediated moderation model in which tourists’ trait gratitude and positive resident–tourist contact jointly influence TCB. In driving TCB, the interactive effect of trait gratitude and positive contact is mediated by perceived insider status. Data were collected from 497 Mount Wuyi tourists and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results reveal that trait gratitude positively influences TCB, and this relationship is moderated by positive contact. Furthermore, positive contact moderates the association between trait gratitude and perceived insider status. Additionally, perceived insider status, which is positively related to TCB, significantly mediates the moderating effects of positive contact on the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB.

Keywords

trait gratitude resident–tourist contact perceived insider status tourist citizenship behavior trait activation theory

Introduction

Tourist citizenship behavior (TCB) refers to positive, voluntary, and discretionary behaviors exhibited by tourists that directly or indirectly benefits the destination (Torres-Moraga et al., 2021), such as providing local managers with useful feedback and advice, improving the experience of other tourists, and recommending a destination to the others (Li, Dong et al., 2022; Torres-Moraga et al., 2021; Tsaur et al., 2021). It is crucial to establish a destination’s competitive advantage and support its sustainable development (Teng & Tsai, 2020; Torres-Moraga et al., 2021). More importantly, as competition in the tourism market intensifies, the focus of the marketing strategy for a destination shifts from service delivery to value co-creation (Alqayed et al., 2022), which requires tourists to show more extra-role behavior toward the destination. Hence, TCB has recently received increasing scholarly attention to help destinations adapt to these changes.

Notably, the literature has identified several key antecedents of TCB. These are tourists’ satisfaction (Assiouras et al., 2019), tourists’ relationship quality with other tourists (Shafiee et al., 2020), tourists’ emotional state (Liu et al., 2021), tour guide likability (Teng & Tsai, 2020; Tsaur et al., 2021), tourists’ identification with the destination (Torres-Moraga et al., 2021), and tourists’ delight (S. Li, Dong et al., 2022). These antecedents focus primarily on tourists’ cognitive or emotional responses to external events and ignore the role of personality traits. Unlike cognitive or emotional factors that rely on the external environment to predict behaviors, personality traits can encourage individuals to autonomously show trait-relevant behaviors (Tett & Burnett, 2003; Tett & Guterman, 2000). Trait gratitude, a stable tendency to feel a sense of gratitude within a specific context, is closely associated with prosocial and extra-role behavior (Ma et al., 2017; Sun, Liden et al., 2019). Thus, trait gratitude may be an important factor in understanding TCB. More importantly, trait gratitude that indicates a generally positive disposition toward others (Wood et al., 2010), is valued and praised in society (Bock et al., 2018; McCullough et al., 2002). Hence, it is extremely meaningful to explore the link between trait gratitude and TCB.

Although many studies have regarded trait gratitude as a critical factor for stimulating positive behavior (e.g., F. Li, Jiao et al., 2021; Ma et al., 2017; Yost-Dubrow & Dunham, 2018), its potential value has not been thoroughly explored. According to trait activation theory (TAT), the effect of personality traits on behavior depends on trait-relevant scenarios (Tett & Burnett, 2003; Tett & Guterman, 2000). Thus, the strength of the relationship between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB is likely to be associated with situations related to trait gratitude. During traveling, tourists often make contact with local residents for better travel experience, including destination exploration, information acquisition, and help seeking (Lin et al., 2019). Consequently, positive resident–tourist contact, which represents the extent to which tourists are treated positively by local residents (Tu & Ma, 2022), is a critical situational factor in tourists’ experiences and activities. More importantly, positive contact between resident and tourist is correlated with tourists’ feelings of gratitude (Filep et al., 2017; Tu & Ma, 2022). It follows that positive resident–tourist contact is likely to be a situational factor related to trait gratitude, strengthening the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB. However, extant research only focuses on the direct or indirect effects of resident–tourist contact (Fan et al., 2017, 2020; Tu & Ma, 2022), neglecting its activating role on the effect of personality traits. Hence, the interactive effect of trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB is an important research topic.

As noted by TAT, the process through which traits and situations jointly drive behavior is transmitted by factors related to motivation (Tett & Burnett, 2003; van Knippenberg & Hirst, 2020; Wu et al., 2018). Exploring the driving forces underlying the interactive effect of trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB is necessary from the perspective of motivation. The literature suggests that social exchange is a viable transmitting mechanism. In particular, tourists’ satisfaction (Assiouras et al., 2019), emotional state (Liu et al., 2021), attachment to the tour leader (Teng & Tsai, 2020), perceived value (Tsaur et al., 2021), and perceived service quality (S. Li, Dong et al., 2022) can all serve as driving forces behind TCB. These studies posit that TCB results from a cognitive or emotional response after benefit exchanges between tourists and others, ignoring the non-benefit exchange type of resident–tourist relationship. Indeed, residents’ altruistic behavior (Chua et al., 2022; Tang et al., 2021) is associated with tourists’ identities (Hu, Xiong et al., 2021). Thus, it is vital to examine the driving forces behind TCB under the lens of identity. Perceived insider status acts as a kind of identity construct and reflects the extent to which an individual feels like an insider (Stamper & Masterson, 2002). Recent studies have shown that tourists might perceive themselves as members of a destination when they are aware of positive resident behaviors (Hu, Xiong et al., 2021). This sense of belonging can encourage individuals to engage in extra-role behavior (Hui et al., 2015). Thus, perceived insider status may help explain the driving forces behind TCB.

In summary, this study uses TAT to provide a theoretical explanation regarding when and how personality traits and situational factors stimulate trait-relevant behavior. It constructs a trait activation model (see Figure 1) that incorporates trait gratitude (personality trait), positive contact (situational factor), perceived insider status (motivation-related factor), and TCB (trait behavioral expression). The model investigates the boundary conditions and transmitting mechanisms through which trait gratitude stimulates TCB. This study speculates that tourists with trait gratitude are more likely to display TCB when they experience positive resident–tourist interactions. Simultaneously, this relationship is mediated by tourists’ perceived insider status.

Figure 1.

Theoretical model for this study.

Mplus 7.4 is used to conduct four empirical tests: (1) to empirically verify whether TCB is a behavioral expression of tourists’ trait gratitude, (2) to ascertain whether positive contact moderates the relationship between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB, (3) to examine whether positive contact moderates the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and perceived insider status, and (4) to investigate whether the interactive effect of trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB is mediated by perceived insider status.

This study contributes to the TCB literature in four main ways. First, it adds to existing research on the antecedents of TCB by empirically examining the impact of tourists’ trait gratitude. Second, this study sheds light on the underlying driving forces behind TCB. Third, it identifies the mediating role of perceived insider status in the interactive effect of tourists’ trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB. Finally, the research model built in this study offers a theoretical framework for future researchers to examine similar variables.

The present study also aids the practical management of tourist destinations, as it explores when and how tourists with trait gratitude engage in TCB. Considering the activating role of positive contact in the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB, this study offers practical implications that may help destination managers and local organizations strengthen the effect of trait gratitude on TCB.

Theory and Hypotheses

Tourist Citizenship Behavior

The concept of TCB originates from the customer citizenship behavior literature (Liu & Tsaur, 2014). It refers to positive, voluntary, and discretionary behaviors by tourists that directly or indirectly benefit a tourist destination (Torres-Moraga et al., 2021). As a type of extra-role behavior, TCB comprises three dimensions: recommending, helping, and providing feedback (S. Li, Dong et al., 2022; Torres-Moraga et al., 2021). Recommending refers to the behavior of suggesting a destination to friends, family, or others; helping describes the act of assisting other tourists in a destination; and providing feedback implies offering service improvement suggestions in a destination. Compared with other tourist behaviors, TCB provides both economic and social benefits to a destination, such as promoting destination marketing through recommendations (Hosany et al., 2017; Prayag et al., 2017), improving service levels through feedback (Liu et al., 2021; Shafiee et al., 2020), and creating a harmonious atmosphere by helping (Arıca et al., 2022; Liu & Tsaur, 2014).

Given the potential advantages of TCB to destination development, researchers have investigated its causal factors. However, the literature primarily examines factors that influence TCB at the cognitive or emotional level and ignores the effect of tourists’ affective traits. Further, questions on when and how tourists’ personalities influence TCB remain. Building on TAT, this study investigates the boundary conditions of trait gratitude and the transmitting effect of its influence on TCB.

Tourists’ Trait Gratitude and TCB

Gratitude has been defined either as a trait or as a state (Kong et al., 2021; Lin, 2019). As a state, gratitude has been identified as an emotion or mood. Emotions and moods are emotional responses to the benefits received from others or an appreciation of the valued and cherished aspects of life (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; Lambert et al., 2009; Ma et al., 2017). As a trait, gratitude is the stable tendency to experience gratitude within a specific context (Fehr et al., 2017), which is relatively enduring and can be used to predict individuals’ behaviors (C. Li, Dong et al., 2022). Research suggests that trait gratitude is an effective predictor of individuals’ positive behaviors in other disciplines (e.g., C. Li, Dong et al., 2022; F. Li, Jiao et al., 2021; Yost-Dubrow & Dunham, 2018). Nevertheless, few studies in the tourism domain have explored the role of gratitude (Filep et al., 2017; Tu & Ma, 2022), particularly the behavioral effect of trait gratitude. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the effect of tourists’ trait gratitude on TCB.

This study argues that trait gratitude may encourage tourists to display citizenship behavior. First, tourists with trait gratitude tend to recommend a destination to others. A grateful individual tends to appreciate others’ values and tolerate their flaws, thereby promoting better relationships (C. Fehr et al., 2017; Li, Dong et al., 2022). Recommendations often happen during interpersonal interactions, especially in familiar relationships (Torres-Moraga et al., 2021). Hence, tourists with trait gratitude may introduce scenic spots, share experiences, and engage in positive word-of-mouth together. Second, trait gratitude encourages tourists to help each other (McCullough et al., 2002; VanOyen Witvliet et al., 2019). It means that individuals with trait gratitude have the moral cognition to behave in a prosocial manner (McCullough et al., 2001). Accordingly, tourists with trait gratitude are inclined to help the tourists with problems. Third, tourists with trait gratitude are likely to give feedback. Such individuals easily engage in reciprocal behavior (Fehr et al., 2017), thereby reinforcing positive outcomes, such as prosocial and extra-role behaviors (Sun, Liden et al., 2019; Yost-Dubrow & Dunham, 2018). This means that tourists with trait gratitude are more willing to give feedback after a positive experience. Taken together, trait gratitude bolsters recommendation, helping, and feedback behaviors. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

Hypothesis 1: Trait gratitude is positively associated with TCB.

Activating Role of Positive Contact in the Influence of Trait Gratitude on TCB

The concept of positive contact, which originates from the intergroup contact hypothesis in social psychology, refers to the degree to which an individual is positively treated by members of the external group during an interaction (Meleady & Vermue, 2019; Reimer et al., 2017). Tu and Ma (2022) were the first to introduce positive contact into research on resident–tourist interaction and defined it as “the extent to which tourists are treated positively by residents during residents–tourists interaction” (p. 3). This kind of interaction emphasizes residents’ positive contact behavior, such as offering useful information, sharing knowledge on the local culture, addressing problems related to tourism, and providing help and travel suggestions (Lai et al., 2021; Woosnam et al., 2009; Yu & Lee, 2014). As a socio-emotional resource that tourists receive from residents (Tu & Ma, 2022), positive contact positively relates to travel attitudes (Fan, 2020), memorable tourism experiences (Chen & Rahman, 2018), and destination image (Stylidis, 2022). Furthermore, it positively influences tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior (Tu & Ma, 2022), tourist immersion and emotional solidarity (Jiang & Tu, 2022; S. Li, Jiao et al., 2021). While many studies have examined the direct or indirect effects of positive contact, they have often neglected its activating role in the effect of personality traits on tourist behaviors. Drawing on TAT, this study explores the moderating role of positive contact in the relationship between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB.

Positive contact represents an important situational cue and is likely to enhance the relationship between trait gratitude and TCB. According to TAT, situational cues can be grouped into task, social, and organizational cues (Tett & Burnett, 2003). Among these, social cues relate to interpersonal support from, for example, supervisors and coworkers (Chae et al., 2019; Du et al., 2021). Positive contact that reflects the supportive attitudes of residents toward tourists, has several valuable characteristics associated with gratitude, such as friendliness, helpfulness, and supportiveness (Reimer et al., 2017; Tu & Ma, 2022). As a way of providing interpersonal support (Tu & Ma, 2022), positive contact is likely to be a social cue related to trait gratitude. According to TAT, such social cues related to trait gratitude activate the effect of personality traits on individuals’ behavior (Liu et al., 2017; Tett & Burnett, 2003). Hence, positive contact may play an activating role in the effect of trait gratitude on TCB.

This study argues that positive contact strengthens the effect of tourists’ trait gratitude on TCB. High-level positive contact means that residents provide tourists with supportive, helpful, and friendly tourism experiences, which triggers tourists’ feelings of gratitude (Tu & Ma, 2022). Thus, positive contact at a high level is laden with situational cues related to trait gratitude. Moreover, TAT also suggests that trait-relevant situations can activate traits expressing corresponding behaviors (Tett & Burnett, 2003; Tett & Guterman, 2000). Based on this, TCB is easily triggered as a prosocial behavior related to trait gratitude during high-level positive contact. By contrast, low-level positive contact makes it hard for tourists to pick up on positive situational cues and is not conducive to the formation of feelings of gratitude (Filep et al., 2017; Tu & Ma, 2022). According to TAT, an individual does not readily display trait-related behavior when the environment lacks cues associated with personality traits. As such, low-level positive contact weakens the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB. Therefore, in this study, the following hypothesis is proposed:

Hypothesis 2: Positive contact moderates the positive link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB and the link is stronger when the level of positive contact is high.

Mediating Effect of Perceived Insider Status

In the field of organizational behavior, perceived insider status is defined as the extent to which employees feel like organizational insiders (Stamper & Masterson, 2002). It is an individual’s cognitive assessment based on their perceived importance and relative standing in an environment (Choi et al., 2018; Schaubroeck et al., 2017; Tan et al., 2022), which is often used to describe the relationship between individuals and the environment (J. Kang et al., 2021; Li, Dong et al., 2022; Zhao & Liu, 2020). Consistently, perceived insider status in this study refers to the extent to which tourists feel like destination insiders, which aims to assess the degree of association between tourists and destinations. Scholars have examined the causes and consequences of employees’ perceived insider status in the hospitality industry. The antecedents of perceived insider status include living a calling (Kang et al., 2021), subjective relational experience (Lee & Hyun, 2016), employment status (Raub, 2018), feeling trusted (Rouzi & Wang, 2021), and the need to belong (J. Li, Dong et al., 2022). Its outcomes include promotion focus (Horng et al., 2016), psychological well-being, innovation (Lee & Hyun, 2016), work attitude and behavior (Raub, 2018), leadership behaviors (Rouzi & Wang, 2021), and social identity (J. Li, Dong et al., 2022). However, few studies have considered the role of tourists’ perceived insider status at the destination level.

According to TAT, motivation-related factors play a crucial role in transferring the interactive effect of personality traits and trait-relevant situations to behaviors (van Knippenberg & Hirst, 2020; Wu et al., 2018). Tourists with trait gratitude are inclined to notice and appreciate benevolent resident behavior because residents have no obligation to treat them positively (Tu & Ma, 2022). This response results in their identifications of the destination (Hu, Xiong et al., 2021) and is conducive to forming perceived insider status (Kumar & Nayak, 2019). As an identity construct, perceived insider status can also evoke strong internal motivations to exhibit extra-role behavior (Hui et al., 2015). Thus, it is likely to be a driving force underlying the interactive effect of tourists’ trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB.

This study posits that tourists with trait gratitude more readily perceive their insider status in a high-level positive contact situation. High-level positive contact that emphasizes positive resident behavior, such as helping (Tung, 2019), sincerity (S. Li, Jiao et al., 2021), and value co–creation (Chua et al., 2022) is indicative of a harmonious tourist–resident relationship (Fan et al., 2020; Tse & Tung, 2022). In this environment, tourists with trait gratitude are more aware of residents’ benevolent actions, thus strengthening tourists’ emotional connection to them. Hence, in high-level positive contact situations, such tourists may view themselves as members of the destination, as they have been valued and cared for by residents. By contrast, low-level positive contact reflects an estranged relationship within which it becomes difficult for tourists to perceive situational cues related to trait gratitude such as supportiveness, a welcoming attitude, friendliness, and helpfulness (Reimer et al., 2017; Tu & Ma, 2022). In such circumstances, residents and tourists become two relatively independent groups, hampering the role played by trait gratitude. Therefore, trait gratitude does not easily produce perceived insider status in low-level positive contact situations. Accordingly, the following hypothesis is proposed:

Hypothesis 3: Positive contact moderates the relationship between tourists’ trait gratitude and perceived insider status such that the effect of trait gratitude on perceived insider status is stronger when the level of positive contact is high.

Furthermore, tourists’ perceived insider status motivates them to engage in citizenship behavior. The literature suggests that perceived insider status is positively associated with an individual’s prosocial behavior (e.g., Guo et al., 2022; Hui et al., 2015; Rouzi & Wang, 2021). In particular, tourists who perceive themselves as destination insiders tend to recommend the destination, be helpful, and give feedback (Torres-Moraga et al., 2021). More importantly, perceived insider status is associated with identity-based motivation (Guo et al., 2022; Zeng & Xu, 2020), which in turn enhances individuals’ positive behavior (Raub, 2018; Wu et al., 2018). Hence, perceived insider status evokes strong identity-based motivation to engage in TCB. Based on the above reasoning, in this study, the following hypothesis is proposed:

Hypothesis 4: Tourists’ perceived insider status is positively related to TCB.

According to the aforementioned viewpoints, positive contact moderates the relationship between trait gratitude and TCB as well as the link between trait gratitude and perceived insider status. Perceived insider status has a positive effect on TCB. According to TAT, trait and trait-relevant situations jointly shape behavior through variables related to motivation (Tett et al., 2021; Wu et al., 2018). This implies that the moderating effect of positive contact is likely to be mediated by perceived insider status, which involves mediated moderation (Muller et al., 2005). It follows that perceived insider status mediates the interactive effect of tourists’ trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB. Hence, this study proposes a mediated moderation model in which perceived insider status has a mediating effect on the relationship between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB when they experience positive contact. Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed:

Hypothesis 5: Trait gratitude and positive contact jointly influence TCB and this relationship is mediated by perceived insider status.

Method

Location and Context

The data for this study were collected from tourists visiting Mount Wuyi, a tourist destination in Nanping, Fujian Province, China. Mount Wuyi is a natural and cultural World Heritage Site that attracts over 15 million visitors annually and is noted for its natural and anthropological environment. This location was selected for three reasons. First, as a well-known tourist destination domestically and internationally, Mount Wuyi attracts a diverse range of tourists. Second, it covers a broad area with various scenic locations; notably, tourists often spend at least 2 days on this trip, meaning they have ample opportunity to participate in interaction with local residents. Third, Mount Wuyi is home to many residents, and it encourages positive contact between tourists and residents.

Data Collection and Sampling

The convenience sampling method was adopted to randomly survey tourists visiting Mount Wuyi (the randomness of the sampling was primarily set by time and location). Six waves of data collection were performed during this study (once a month) from August 2021 to January 2022, a period that included the off-season and peak season. We randomly intercepted tourists exiting Mount Wuyi or entering the railway station. The following screening question was asked first: “Did you experience contact with local residents on this trip?” To enhance the validity of the samples, we provided potential participants with an oral overview of the questionnaire in advance. In addition, we explained the research purpose and asked if they were willing to complete the questionnaire. Subsequently, each participant received a small gift for completing the questionnaire in full (e.g., a commemorative coin, postcard, or refrigerator magnet).

A total of 550 questionnaires were distributed during data collection. Of these, 497 were completed and returned, representing a response rate of 90.4%. The descriptive statistics in Table 1 indicate that 52.3% of the respondents were women and 47.1% were over 40 years of age. Furthermore, most of the respondents reported having a bachelor’s degree (42.5%). Regarding monthly income, 30.8% earned below ¥3,000, 23.3% earned between ¥3,001 and ¥4,000, and 20.1% earned between ¥4,001 and ¥5,000. Finally, first-visit tourists accounted for 73.2% of the sample.

Table 1.

Sample Profile (N = 497).

Demographic	Total number	Percentage	Demographic	Total number	Percentage
Gender			Age (years)
Male	237	47.7	≤18	10	2
Female	260	52.3	19–29	135	27.2
Monthly income			30–39	118	23.7
≤3,000	145	30.8	40–49	144	29
3,001–4,000	116	23.3	≥50	90	18.1
4,001–5,000	108	20.1	Education
5,001–6,000	67	13.5	Junior high or below	65	13.1
≥6,000	61	12.3	College	126	25.4
Visit-time			Undergraduate	211	42.5
First-time	364	73.2	Master	75	15.1
Repeat	133	26.8	Doctor	20	4.0

Note. This study have obtained the permission of the guardian when distributing questionnaires to tourists under the age of 18.

Measures

We adopted Brislin’s (1970) back-translation method to translate all the questionnaire items from English into Chinese. Two authors translated the original questionnaires into Chinese. To ensure accuracy, three English-speaking tourism experts were invited to back-translate these items into English. By comparing the differences between the translations, we refined the questionnaires to improve their accuracy and designed a five-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) with acceptable reliability and validity. According to Marsden and Wright’s (2010) recommendation, questions on the same topic should be grouped together and proceed from general to specific. Thus, the questionnaire was divided into two sections, with the first including questions on demographic information and the measured items of trait gratitude. The second section involved the measured items of the other three psychological and behavioral variables (positive contact, perceived insider status, and TCB). Detailed indices are presented in Table 2.

Table 2.

The Validity and Reliability of Questionnaires.

Construct	Mean	SD	Skewness	Kurtosis	Loading	T	CR	AVE
Trait gratitude							0.88	0.56
I have so much in life to be thankful for.	4.06	0.92	−0.62	−0.30	0.79	38.94
If I had to list everything that I felt grateful for, it would be a very long list.	3.95	0.97	−0.50	−0.60	0.78	36.79
When I look at the world, I don’t see much to be grateful for*. (R)	4.00	0.90	−0.43	−0.76	0.69	25.93
I am grateful to a wide variety of people.	3.89	0.93	−0.33	−0.69	0.82	44.87
As I get older, I find myself more able to appreciate the people, events, and situations that have been part of my life history	4.02	0.92	−0.51	−0.54	0.79	37.89
Long amounts of time can go by before I feel grateful to something or someone*. (R)	3.89	0.0.98	−0.43	−0.82	0.59	18.42
Perceived insider status							0.81	0.60
I feel very much a part of Mount Wuyi.	3.00	0.95	0.31	−0.19	0.82	33.51
Mount Wuyi makes me believe that I am included in it.	2.86	0.98	0.34	−0.08	0.82	34.10
I feel I am an “insider” in Mount Wuyi.	2.98	0.88	0.23	−0.19	0.63	19.60
Positive contact							0.91	0.68
I was given support when I made contact with local residents.	3.52	0.91	0.02	−0.12	0.82	45.54
I got help from local residents when I made contact with them.	3.67	0.90	−0.03	−0.53	0.85	55.94
Local residents were complimentary toward me during my interaction with them.	3.37	0.93	0.13	−0.20	0.76	35.55
Local residents welcomed me warmly.	3.77	0.90	−0.23	−0.33	0.85	53.77
Local residents are friendly to me.	3.79	0.90	−0.18	−0.46	0.84	52.03
TCB							0.83	0.62
Recommending					0.68^a	24.17	0.89	0.73
I recommend Mount Wuyi to my relatives.	3.43	0.97	−0.22	−0.13	0.90	69.12
I recommend Mount Wuyi to my peers.	3.48	1.02	−0.30	−0.24	0.91	70.96
I recommend Mount Wuyi to people interested in the attractions and services that are in this place.	3.67	0.92	−0.25	−0.18	0.74	32.60
Helping					0.85^a	44.35	0.88	0.65
I assist other tourists in finding travel products.	3.57	0.89	0.09	−0.60	0.72	29.26
I help others with their trip in Mount Wuyi.	3.78	0.90	−0.18	−0.53	0.83	48.81
I teach tourist how to use Mount Wuyi services correctly.	3.70	0.91	−0.18	−0.35	0.85	53.38
I explain to other tourists how to use Mount Wuyi services correctly.	3.67	0.92	−0.07	−0.48	0.82	46.63
Providing feedback					0.82^a	40.31	0.87	0.62
I fill out tourist satisfaction surveys regarding Mount Wuyi.	3.94	0.92	−0.40	−0.62	0.73	30.21
I provide helpful comments to the Mount Wuyi tourist service office.	3.79	0.90	−0.13	−0.75	0.82	43.85
I provide information when surveyed by Mount Wuyi.	3.91	0.85	−0.17	−0.91	0.84	48.15
I inform the Mount Wuyi tourist service office about the excellent service received by employees.	3.63	0.88	0.18	−0.87	0.75	32.41

Note. N = 497. SD = standard deviation; CR = composite reliability; AVE = average variance extracted.

The second order loadings for TCB.

Refers to reverse-scored items.

Trait gratitude

We assessed trait gratitude using McCullough et al.’s (2002) six-item scale. The sample items were “I have so much in life to be thankful for,” “When I look at the world, I don’t see much to be grateful for,” and “I am grateful to a wide variety of people.” The Cronbach’s alpha for tourists’ trait gratitude was .88.

Perceived insider status

We measured perceived insider status using the three items adapted from Stamper and Masterson’s (2002) scale. The participants were asked about the extent to which they perceive themselves as insiders of a destination (e.g., “I feel I am an ‘insider’ in Mount Wuyi”). The reliability of this scale was .80.

Positive contact. Using Tu and Ma’s (2022) five-item scale, we assessed positive contact between residents and tourists. The respondents reported the extent to which they were treated positively by local residents. Sample items were “I was given support when I made contact with local residents” and “Local residents were complimentary toward me during my interaction with them.” The Cronbach’s alpha for positive contact was .91.

TCB. TCB was measured using the 11 items adapted from Groth’s (2005) customer citizenship behavior scale. The participants indicated the extent to which they were willing to engage in TCB. Sample items were “I recommend Mount Wuyi to my peers,” “I teach tourists how to use Mount Wuyi services correctly,” and “I provide helpful comments to the Mount Wuyi tourist service office.” A second-order confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the fit indices were acceptable (χ²[41] = 179.60, Tucker–Lewis index [TLI] = 0.95, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.96, standardized root mean square residual (SRMSR) = 0.05, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.08). The Cronbach’s alpha for making recommendations, helping tourists, providing feedback, and the full scale were 0.88, 0.88, 0.86, and 0.92, respectively.

Given that the data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study considered the pandemic situation in the destination as a control variable. Sample items were “I think, given the COVID-19 pandemic, it is safe/unsafe to visit Mount Wuyi” (1 = very unsafe to 5 = very safe) and “I think the infection prevention and control measures in Mount Wuyi are good/bad” (1 = badly done to 5 = well done). Moreover, previous research has indicated that the demographic background was significantly associated with trait gratitude (Jans-Beken et al., 2018; Lin, 2019). In addition, visiting time, which has been found to influence tourists’ behavior (e.g., Jin et al., 2015; Su & Swanson, 2017; Wong & Zhao, 2016), is often used as a control variable in research on resident–tourist interactions (Tu & Ma, 2022). Thus, we controlled for the effect of COVID-19, gender, age, education, monthly income, and visiting time when testing the hypotheses.

Analytic Strategy

As the measurement of the main variables (trait gratitude, positive contact, perceived insider status, and TCB) did not show significant differences over the 6 time periods [F_{trait gratitude} _{(5, 491)} = 0.42, ns; F_{positive contact} _{(5, 491)} = 0.90, ns; F_{perceived insider status} _{(5, 491)} = 1.01, ns; F_TCB _{(5, 491)} = 1.67, ns], the data for the six waves were combined to examine the relationships among the variables. Mplus 7.4 was first used to verify our proposed conceptual model by conducting a confirmatory factor analysis. The reliability and validity of the proposed model were examined using composite reliability (CR) and average variance extracted (AVE) (Fornell & Larcker, 1981; Hair et al., 2014). Subsequently, several preliminary statistical verifications were performed to check for common method variance (CMV).

Mplus 7.4 was then used to test the direct effect of trait gratitude on TCB as well as the moderating effect of positive contact and the mediating effect of perceived insider status. In addition, a simple slope analysis was conducted to reveal the moderating effect of positive contact. This analysis was conducted to understand the effect of tourists’ trait gratitude on TCB and the perceived insider status at various positive contact values.

Results

Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the discriminant validity of trait gratitude, perceived insider status, positive contact, and TCB. Given the many items measuring TCB, Kishton and Widaman’s (1994) internal consistency approach was adopted to combine them and improve the model’s fitness. TCB was separated into three parts: recommending, helping, and providing feedback. Table 3 shows that the four-factor model of trait gratitude, perceived insider status, positive contact, and TCB (χ²[113] = 422.06, TLI = 0.93, CFI = 0.94, SRMA = 0.05, RMSEA = 0.07) revealed a better fit than alternative models, including the single-factor model (χ²[119] =1965.58, TLI = 0.57, CFI = 0.63, SRMA = 0.12, RMSEA = 0.17). Table 2 shows that the CR values for all the constructs were greater than 0.7, thus suggesting that all the items had acceptable reliability (Hair et al., 2014). The AVE values for all the factors were higher than 0.50, thereby indicating adequate convergent validity (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). The square roots of the AVEs of all the variables were higher than their correlations, as shown in Table 4, which suggested adequate discriminant validity (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). These findings establish that the four-factor model constructed in this study had adequate distinctiveness among the four key variables.

Table 3.

Results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Model	Factor structure	χ²	df	χ²/df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA	SRMA
Five-factor model	TG, PIS, PC, TCB, CMV	430.57	112	3.84	0.94	0.92	0.08	0.06
Four-factor model	TG, PIS, PC, TCB	422.06	113	3.74	0.94	0.93	0.07	0.05
Three-factor model 1	TG + PIS, PC, TCB	941.67	116	8.12	0.83	0.80	0.12	0.11
Three-factor model 2	TG, PIS, PC + TCB	758.66	116	6.54	0.87	0.85	0.11	0.07
Three-factor model 3	TG, PIS + PC, TCB	806.41	116	6.95	0.86	0.84	0.11	0.08
Two-factor model 1	TG + TCB, PC + PIS	1,254.06	118	10.63	0.77	0.74	0.14	0.11
Two-factor model 2	TG + PIS, PC + TCB	1,253.42	118	10.62	0.77	0.74	0.14	0.12
Single-factor model	TG + PIS+PC+TCB	1,965.58	119	16.52	0.63	0.57	0.17	0.12

Note. N = 497.TG=trait gratitude; PIS = Perceived insider status; PC = positive contact; TCB = tourist citizenship behavior; CMV = common method variance; CFI = comparative fit index; TLI = Tucker-Lewis index; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; SRMR = standardized root mean square residual. “+” means combining into one factor.

Table 4.

Simple Correlation and Descriptive Statistics.

Variables	Mean	S.D.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1. Gender	1.52	.50	/
2. Age	3.34	1.12	−.14**	/
3. Education	2.72	1.01	−.16**	.05	/
4. Monthly income	2.53	1.37	−.20**	.12**	.28**	/
5. Visit- time	1.27	.44	−.04	-.02	.01	.01	/
6. COVID-19 Q1	4.22	.70	−.10*	-.05	−.02	.01	.01	/
7. COVID-19 Q2	4.15	.70	−.03	.02	−.02	.05	−.04	.29**	/
8. Trait gratitude	3.97	.74	−.05	-.01	−.02	−.01	−.04	.06	.13**	.75^a
9. Perceived insider status	2.94	.79	−.06	.01	.01	.06	.03	.04	.16**	.28**	.77^a
10. Positive contact	3.62	.78	−.06	.01	−.03	.11*	.01	.05	.21**	.43**	.45**	.82^a
11. TCB	3.69	.68	−.06	.01	−.01	.06	−.02	.08	.23**	.49**	.51**	.60**	.79^a

Note. For gender, 1 = male, 2 = female. For age, 1 = under 18, 2 = between 19 and 29, 3 = between 30 and 39, 4 = between 40 and 49, 5 = above 50. For education, 1 = junior high or below, 2 = college, 3 = undergraduate, 4 = master or above. For monthly income, 1 = under ¥3,000, 2 = between ¥3,001and ¥4,000, 3 = between ¥4,001and ¥5,000, 4 = between ¥5,001and ¥6,000, 5 = above ¥6,001.

Square root of AVE. *p < .05. **p < .01.

Given that all the questionnaire items were completed by tourists over six distinct time periods, CMV could have hindered us investigating the associations among the variables. To assess the potential impact of CMV, an approach that controls for unmeasured latent method factors needed to be adopted (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Specifically, CMV was incorporated as a latent variable and loaded onto the other latent variables (trait gratitude, perceived insider status, positive contact, and TCB) in the four-factor model. As shown in Table 3, the fitting indices of the five-factor model were not significantly improved compared with those in the four-factor model (ΔTLI < 0.02, ΔCFI < 0.01, ΔSRMA < 0.02, ΔRMSEA < 0.02). These results suggest that CMV during data collection slightly affected the subsequent analyses.

Descriptive Statistics

Table 4 presents the descriptive statistics and correlations among the variables. As expected, the results reveal that trait gratitude was significantly related to perceived insider status (γ = .28, p < .01), positive contact (γ = .43, p < .01), and TCB (γ = .49, p < .01). Perceived insider status had a significant impact on positive contact (γ = .45, p < .01) and TCB (γ = .51, p < .01), while positive contact was significantly associated with TCB (γ = .60, p < .01). These results suggest that the data are suitable for the subsequent hypotheses testing.

Hypotheses Testing

Table 5 presents the results of the mediated moderation model. Hypothesis 1 suggests that trait gratitude significantly influences TCB. Table 5 indicates that after controlling for the control variables (gender, age, education, monthly income, visiting time, and COVID-19), mediator variable (perceived insider status), and moderator variable (positive contact), the direct effect of trait gratitude on TCB was still significant (β = .24, p < .01). The 95% confidence interval excluded zero (0.18, 0.30), thereby supporting Hypothesis 1.

Table 5.

Results of Regression Analyses.

Variables	Perceived insider status			TCB
Variables	β	SE	95% CI	β	SE	95% CI
Control variable
Age	−.01	0.03	(−0.05, 0.04)	−.01	0.02	(−0.04, 0.03)
Gender	.04	0.07	(−0.15, 0.07)	.01	0.05	(−0.07, 0.08)
Education	−0.01	0.03	(−0.04, 0.07)	.01	0.02	(−0.03, 0.04)
Monthly income	.01	0.02	(−0.04, 0.04)	.01	0.02	(−0.03, 0.03)
Visit-time	.05	0.07	(−0.07, 0.18)	−.01	0.05	(−0.10, 0.05)
COVID-19 Q1	−0.01	0.05	(−0.08, 0.07)	.01	0.03	(−0.04, 0.07)
COVID-19 Q2	.08*	0.05	(0.01, 0.15)	.08*	0.04	(0.03, 0.14)
Independent variable
Trait gratitude	.13**	0.05	(0.06, 0.20)	.24**	0.04	(0.18, 0.30)
Mediator variable
Perceived insider status				.22**	0.03	(0.17, 0.28)
Moderator variable
Positive contact	.37**	0.05	(0.29, 0.45)	.29**	0.04	(0.23, 0.35)
Moderating effect
Trait gratitude × Positive contact	.17**	0.06	(0.06, 0.27)	.11**	0.04	(0.05, 0.17)
Mediated moderation effects
Trait gratitude × Positive contact→ Perceived insider status→TCB				.04	0.02	(0.01, 0.06)
R ²	.23			0.50

Note. N = 497. SE = standard error. 95% CI = Bias-corrected confidence interval. *p < .05; **p < .01.

Hypothesis 2 predicted that positive contact moderates the relationship between trait gratitude and TCB. The interaction term between trait gratitude and positive contact was processed by mean-centralization. Table 5 shows that the moderating effect of positive contact on the relationship between trait gratitude and TCB was significant (β = .11, p < .01,and 95% CI = [0.05, 0.17]), thereby supporting Hypothesis 2. Following Aiken and West’s (1991) suggestion, a simple slope analysis was performed to plot this interactive effect (see Figure 2). It investigated the conditional effects of trait gratitude on TCB at one standard deviation below and above the mean of positive contact. As shown in Figure 2, when positive contact was high (one standard deviation above the mean), the impact of trait gratitude on TCB was stronger (β = .32, p < .01) than when it was low (β = .15, p < .01).

Figure 2.

The moderating effect of positive contact on the relationship between trait gratitude and TCB.

Hypothesis 3 posited that positive contact moderates the link between trait gratitude and perceived insider status. Table 5 shows that the interaction between trait gratitude and positive contact significantly impacted perceived insider status (β = .17, p < .01,and 95% CI = [0.06, 0.27]). Therefore, Hypothesis 3 was supported. A simple slope analysis was again conducted to plot this interaction. As shown in Figure 3, when positive contact was high (one standard deviation above the mean), the effect of tourists’ trait gratitude on perceived insider status was stronger (β = .26, p < .01) than when it was low (β = .01, ns).

Figure 3.

The moderating effect of positive contact on the relationship between trait gratitude and perceived insider status.

Hypothesis 4 suggested that perceived insider status is positively related to TCB. Table 5 shows that the direct effect of perceived insider status on TCB was still significant (β = .22, p < .01), with the 95% CI excluding zero (0.17, 0.28). Hence, Hypothesis 4 was supported.

Hypothesis 5 proposed that perceived insider status mediates the interactive effect of trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB. As shown in Table 5, the indirect effect was statistically significant (β = .04, 95% CI = [0.01, 0.06]). Thus, the interactive effect of trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB was mediated by perceived insider status. Hypothesis 5 was supported.

Discussion and Conclusion

In this study, a mediated moderation model based on TAT was constructed to investigate the reasons and circumstances under which tourists’ trait gratitude promoted TCB. The proposed model was tested after collecting data from 497 Mount Wuyi tourists. The model demonstrates that tourists’ trait gratitude and positive contact jointly influence TCB; notably, this relationship is mediated by perceived insider status. The results reveal that tourists with higher trait gratitude are more inclined to display TCB; in addition, the link between trait gratitude and TCB is moderated by positive contact. Furthermore, the results indicate that positive contact moderates the relationship between trait gratitude and perceived insider status, while perceived insider status is positively related to TCB. Finally, this study finds that the interactive effect of tourists’ trait gratitude and positive contact is mediated by perceived insider status.

These results suggest that the trait gratitude of tourists is an important antecedent of TCB. Considering the potential benefits to the destination, researchers have investigated the driving factors behind TCB. Nevertheless, previous studies of the antecedents of TCB have focused primarily on the cognitive and emotional levels, which preclude a nuanced consideration of individuals’ personality traits. In the literature, tourists’ personality traits have been regarded as effective predictors of their behaviors (e.g., Baah et al., 2020; Talwar et al., 2022). Studies from other disciplines have shown that trait gratitude could induce prosocial behavior (Ma et al., 2017; Sun, Liden et al., 2019; Yost-Dubrow & Dunham, 2018). Similarly, this study reveals that tourists’ trait gratitude—a discrete affective trait—is a crucial predictor of TCB, which extends existing research. In addition, extant research on gratitude in the tourism domain has mainly concentrated on the function of state gratitude (Filep et al., 2017; Kolyesnikova & Dodd, 2008; Tu & Ma, 2022) and paid less attention to the effect of trait gratitude on behavior. Hence, investigating the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB enriches gratitude research in tourism.

This study highlights the moderating role of positive contact in the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB. Although previous studies have indicated that resident–tourist contact played an important role in shaping tourist behaviors, they have primarily focused on its direct or indirect effect (e.g., Fan et al., 2017, 2020; Tu & Ma, 2022) and less on its situational function. Scholars have explored the moderating role of resident–tourist interactions on tourists’ psychological behavior (e.g., Aleshinloye et al., 2020; Meng & Han, 2018), paying less attention to its moderating effect on tourists’ personality. The findings of this study show that positive contact has an activating role in the relationship between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB. Such result bolsters the resident–tourist contact literature. Although the antecedents and outcomes of hotel employees’ perceived insider status has been discussed in the tourism literature (e.g., Kang et al., 2021; J. Li, Dong et al., 2022; Rouzi & Wang, 2021), few studies have considered the effect of perceived insider status on tourists’ psychological behavior. This research advances the application of perceived insider status by shedding light on the channels through which trait gratitude stimulates TCB.

The findings of this study agree with TAT and support the following viewpoints: (1) as a stable tendency, tourists’ trait gratitude triggers trait-related behavior; (2) TCB—a discretionary and altruistic behavior—is a behavioral expression of tourists’ trait gratitude; (3) positive contact moderates the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB, as it serves as a situational factor that contains a set of cues related to trait gratitude; and (4) perceived insider status represents a motivation-based identity variable associated with the interactive effect of tourists’ trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB. Previous studies have only investigated the driving forces behind TCB from a social exchange perspective. The present study enriches research on these driving forces by verifying the mediating role of perceived insider status from the perspective of tourists’ identity.

Theoretical Implications

First, this study extends the literature, as a personality lens is adopted to investigate the impact of tourists’ personality traits on TCB. Previous research has primarily examined these factors triggering TCB from cognitive and emotional standpoints. However, most of these psychological variables at cognitive and emotional levels are a response to external events, which ignore the spontaneous influence of tourists’ stable personality traits. Although gratitude has been shown to affect individuals’ pro-social behavior in other disciplines (Ma et al., 2017; Sun, Liden et al., 2019; Yost-Dubrow & Dunham, 2018), few researchers have investigated the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB. Thus, this study deepens our understanding of the antecedents of TCB by exploring the personality traits that induce TCB.

Second, this study contributes to TCB research by revealing the transmitting role of perceived insider status from the perspective of identity motivation. Previous research has identified a viable influencing mechanism behind TCB within the framework of social exchange theory—the exchange motivation perspective. These investigations posit that TCB is a reciprocal response to the social exchanges between tourists and external events. Compared with other events (e.g., tourist–service provider contact), residents have no obligation to treat tourists positively (Tu & Ma, 2022). From this perspective, residents’ behavior is usually voluntary and altruistic (Tang et al., 2021), which signifies that a non-benefit exchange type of relationship exists in resident–tourist contact. Hence, exchange motivation does not fully clarify the driving forces behind TCB in the context of resident–tourist contact. As a motivation-based identity variable, perceived insider status explains the formation process, thus enriching research on the driving forces behind TCB.

In addition, the proposed research model offers a theoretical framework for future researchers to examine similar variables. The model used in this study involves four key constructs, namely, personality traits, trait-relevant situations, motivation, and the behavioral expression of personality traits, which can guide future studies. In particular, social interactions that reflect tourists’ sincere travel experiences with the assistance of hosts (Jiang & Tu, 2022; S. Li, Jiao et al., 2021; Taheri et al., 2018) may be situational cues relevant to trait gratitude. Therefore, situational constructs activating the behavioral effects of trait gratitude—destination personality (Tan, 2020), tour guide style (Tu et al., 2020), and tourists’ interactions (Lin et al., 2022)—can be used in TAT models in the future research. Additionally, future research could introduce other potential behavioral variables as outcomes of trait gratitude into the analytical framework developed in this study, such as environmentally responsible behavior (Confente & Scarpi, 2021), loyalty (Ribeiro et al., 2018), behavioral intention (Olya & Han, 2020), revisit behavior (Lee, Cui et al., 2021), and purchase behavior (Purohit et al., 2022).

Practical Implications

This study has several important practical implications. First, the results show that trait gratitude promotes TCB. Hence, it is necessary for destination managers to stimulate TCB by enhancing tourists’ trait gratitude. Previous studies have found that gratitude interventions increased trait gratitude (Davis et al., 2016). To this end, local organizations and destination managers could develop a gratitude intervention program or jointly hold gratitude-themed events, such as fundraisers and commemorations, with other community stakeholders to stimulate tourists’ trait gratitude. For example, designing gratitude-themed tour routes and conducting gratitude expression activities might be effective measures. These approaches could inspire tourists to recall people or events to which they are grateful in the destination as well as express gratitude in a prosocial way.

Second, the findings of this study emphasize the moderating role of positive contact in the link between tourists’ trait gratitude and TCB. They imply that offering positive contact experiences to tourists with trait gratitude can promote trait-relevant behavior. Therefore, interventions that strengthen positive contact should be implemented. For example, local organizations and destination managers might recruit local residents as tourism volunteers and design tourism activities involving resident–tourist contact. Moreover, positive contact that is considered as situational cues related to trait gratitude strengthens the effect of trait gratitude on TCB. Accordingly, local organizations and destination managers could encourage local residents to provide tourists with cues related to gratitude, such as welcoming and complimenting tourists, offering help and support, and developing friendships.

Third, perceived insider status mediates the joint effect of tourists’ trait gratitude and positive contact on TCB. Given this, local organizations and destination managers could take measures to increase how tourists perceive their insider status. For example, they could design resident–tourist shared spaces, encourage tourists to participate in tourism decision-making, and pay more attention to their needs.

Limitations and Directions for Future Research

This study has some limitations that can direct future research. The data, including trait gratitude, positive contact, perceived insider status, and TCB, were collected from Mount Wuyi tourists. Although, in this study, a multi-wave data collection approach over six time periods was adopted, common method bias is a risk for assessing predictors and moderators, threatening the validity of the results. Thus, in future research, these variables should be measured separately over distinct periods to reduce the influence of common method bias during data collection. In addition, cross-sectional survey data was employed to measure positive contact. This approach required the participants to report the extent to which they were positively treated by local residents during their trip. However, considering the limitations of questionnaires for examining the causality relationship between variables, in future research, the experimental method could be adopted to manipulate the level of positive contact, thereby improving the stability of the research conclusions.

Second, considering the setting of resident–tourist interactions, the control variables in this study focused primarily on the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, interpersonal contact in tourism also comprises tourist–tourist and tourist–service provider interactions (Choo & Petrick, 2014). Hence, future studies should investigate alternative control variables resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, including a fear of travel (Assaf et al., 2022; Zheng et al., 2021), contact risk (Kim et al., 2022; Tse & Tung, 2022), and perceived vulnerability (Zhang, Wang et al., 2021). Controlling for these variables would ensure that the research conclusions more accurately reflect the situation at the destination. Moreover, this study primarily focused on the moderating role of positive contact at different levels (low vs high) and failed to investigate the source of different experiences. Future studies should explore the reasons behind the differences in positive contact experience and compare the moderating effect of positive contact.

Third, the tourists sampled in this study were all visiting China; therefore, the sample is influenced by the principle of collectivism. The effectiveness of trait gratitude differs between individualistic and collectivistic cultures (Shin et al., 2020). This means that the cultural context impacts the moderating role of situational factors in the link between trait gratitude and TCB. Hence, whether the results of this study apply to participants from different cultures remains unclear. Further research should be conducted to investigate the behavioral effects of trait gratitude on TCB in countries with individualistic cultures.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the reviewers for their careful reading and providing some pertinent suggestions.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was partly supported by grants from the Humanities and Social Sciences Foundation of Fujian province (project no.FJ2021B155).

Author Note

Hongwei Tu and Ziming Jiang contributed equally to the study.

ORCID iDs

Hongwei Tu

Zhihui Zhang

Ziming Jiang

Author Biographies

Hongwei Tu, PhD, is an associate professor of marketing at College of Cultural Tourism and Public Management, FuJian Normal University, China. His main research interests lie at the intersection of marketing and tourism, focusing on tourist behavior. His academic work is primarily grounded in survey research methods and multivariate modeling techniques.

Zhihui Zhang is a postgraduate student at College of Cultural Tourism and Public Management, FuJian Normal University, China. His research focuses on host-tourist interaction, gratitude, and tourist behavior.

Ziming Jiang is a PhD Candidate in College of Tourism and Service Management, Nankai University, China. His research interests include host-tourist interaction, destination management, destination marketing, and tourist behavior.

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When and How Tourists Engage in Citizenship Behavior: The Interactive Effect of Trait Gratitude and Positive Resident–Tourist Contact

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Theory and Hypotheses

Tourist Citizenship Behavior

Tourists’ Trait Gratitude and TCB

Activating Role of Positive Contact in the Influence of Trait Gratitude on TCB

Mediating Effect of Perceived Insider Status

Method

Location and Context

Data Collection and Sampling

Measures

Trait gratitude

Perceived insider status

Analytic Strategy

Results

Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Descriptive Statistics

Hypotheses Testing

Discussion and Conclusion

Theoretical Implications

Practical Implications

Limitations and Directions for Future Research

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

Funding

Author Note

ORCID iDs

Author Biographies

References