FROM RECOVERY TO SUSTAINABILITY: THE ROLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL OWNERSHIP AND SATISFACTION IN PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR IN NATURE-BASED TOURISM

This study explores how perceived restorativeness in nature-based tourism destinations translates into travellers' environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). Based on the Reasonable Person Model and the Stimulus-Organism-Response theoretical framework, the study proposes and validates a theoretical model that explains the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive sustainable behavior. Data were collected from 349 Ho Chi Minh City travelers, who had visited coastal, island, and forest destinations in Vietnam. The data were analyzed using the PLS-SEM methodology. The results show that perceived restorativeness (PR) not only directly impacts ERB but also indirectly through two intermediate mechanisms: psychological ownership and satisfaction. Specifically, perceived restorativeness increases the sense of destination belonging and reinforces a positive appreciation of the experience, which in turn promotes the behavior in a way that is environmentally friendly. This finding suggests that the recovery experience not only provides health and emotional benefits but also serves as a strategic psychological resource that promotes sustainability at the destination. By integrating the theory of the restorative environment with the study of psychological ownership and sustainable behaviors, this study clarifies the path of transformation from restoration to responsibility. The results contribute to the theory of green and sustainable tourism and provide important governance implications for designing destination environments that nurture long-term, responsible traveller behavior.