Stimulating tourists’ senses for sustainable destination development: Combining embodied cognition theory and the S-O-R model

Tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) is crucial for the sustainable development of destinations, and the external environment can alter individuals’ cognition and behavior through sensory perception. To investigate the impact of the natural environment on tourists’ ERB, a conceptual model was developed and validated from a sensory perspective by integrating the embodied cognition theory and the stimulus-organism-response model. The results of structure equation modeling indicated that, with the exception of auditory perception, tourists’ perceptions through each sense influenced ERB to varying degrees, mediated by memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) and environmental awareness. Additionally, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis method was employed to identify five distinct configurations associated with high ERB. Notably, MTEs and environmental awareness, driven by sensory perceptions, emerged as critical factors. While all senses played a role, none alone could singularly determine high ERB. The findings reveal the mechanism through which sensory perception influences tourists’ ERB and offer practical insights for destinations to integrate tourism resources by aligning with tourists’ sensory experiences to promote sustainable tourism.