Preferred visual images, environmental attitudes, and environmentally responsible behavioural intention among outdoor recreationists

ABSTRACT Even though nature plays a vital role in connecting humans with the natural environment and facilitating leisure lifestyles, little information is known about how to preserve and restore the natural resources and environment. This study developed a conceptual framework to predict outdoor recreationists’ environmentally responsible behavioural intention by combining the constructs of nature-related visual images and environmental attitudes. Results revealed that the visual images generate favourable environmental attitudes that, in turn, had a significant effect on environmentally responsible behavioural intention; this further highlights the importance of the visual images (health-related and usefulness-related nature images) and environmental attitudes (ecocentrism and environmental apathy) in leisure and tourism destination contexts. The conceptual framework offered a comprehensive approach to better understand the close relationships between outdoor recreationists and natural areas. This study suggests tourism destination managers consider the nature-related visual images as environmental and recreational concepts in facilitating travellers’ behaviours in an environmentally responsible manner.