Social crowding increases tourists’ preference for natural products: the effect of ontological security threat and social connectedness

Crowding in tourism happens frequently and mainly leads to negative reactions from tourists. Tourists' non-negative behavioral reactions to social crowding have not been systematically explored. This research explored the influence of social crowding on tourists' preference for natural products. We considered two types of natural products in the tourism field: natural environment products (e.g. natural destinations) and natural material products (e.g. organic products provided in tourist destinations). The results of three experimental studies indicated that social crowding stimulated tourists to exhibit a stronger preference for natural products as a means of coping with ontological security threat. This effect was buffered when tourists had a stronger perception of social connectedness. The findings offer novel theoretical and practical insights and expand the literature on social crowding in tourism and the sustainable development of tourism by proposing a positive effect of social crowding on tourists' preference for natural products and focusing on tourists' well-being.