The relationships among interpretive service quality, satisfaction, place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior at the cultural heritage sites in Xi’an, China

Abstract

The present study investigated the causal relationships among interpretive service quality, satisfaction, place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior. 1800 tourists visiting five historic heritage sites in Xi’an, China were surveyed and 1408 valid questionnaires were collected. The validity and reliability of the data were analyzed by using SPSS 22.0 and the structural equation model (SEM) was tested using AMOS 24. The findings of the study showed that interpretive service quality has direct and positive effect on satisfaction and satisfaction directly impacts place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior respectively. In addition, interpretive service quality exerts indirect influence on place attachment and environmentally responsible behavior respectively through satisfaction, indicating the mediating role of satisfaction in the relationship between interpretive service quality and place attachment as well as that in the relationship between interpretive service quality and environmentally responsible behavior. Moreover, the study demonstrated that place attachment influences environmentally responsible behavior directly. In the end, management implications about the improvements in interpretive services at cultural heritage sites are suggested in order to sustain sustainable development of heritage tourism.