Impact of environmental attractiveness and socio-economic status on residents’ green space visitation in northeastern China

Abstract

With the rapid development of green tourism in China, Jilin Province, a key forest area, is facing significant pressures related to green space utilisation and ecological preservation. These pressures arise from eco-tourism development amidst challenges such as a low economic level, high population density and limited land resources. This study explored the individual-environment interaction model for green space activities among residents with diverse economic and social backgrounds. Additionally, the study attempts to explain how residents’ negative tourism experiences affect their behaviors, thereby offering theoretical and empirical support for the forecasting of green space usage and the conservation of its value. An extensive online survey was conducted to assess residents’ green space activity patterns in three notable tourist cities in Jilin Province, and employed structural equation modeling to examine a series of hypothetical causal relationships among residents’ tourism frequency, visitation duration, socio-economic status, environmental attractiveness, and negative tourism experiences. The study revealed that the environmental attractiveness of the destinations exerted a greater impact on residents’ tourism behavior than their socio-economic status, with the influence of negative tourism experience being comparatively limited. Ownership of a private car and the choice to use it for tourism emerged as the most important variables within the socio-economic status. The type of green space was deemed an insignificant environmental variable. Tourism frequency exhibited a strong positive impact on visitation duration. These results enrich the empirical evidence for comprehending residents’ tourism decision-making processes, which is essential for the development of targeted adaptive policies.