Perceived Responsibility or Emotional Blackmail? The Impact of Ethical Voice on Tourists’ Cultural Heritage Conservation Commitment

Ethical voice shapes moral values and responsible behavior, yet its impact on cultural heritage conservation remains unexplored. Grounded in the approach–avoidance system, this study investigates the differential effects of ethical voice type (promotive vs. prohibitive) on tourists’ cultural heritage conservation commitment through four sub-studies. The findings reveal that promotive (vs. prohibitive) ethical voice is more effective in encouraging tourists’ conservation commitment. Specifically, promotive ethical voice enhances tourists’ perceived responsibility, motivating their conservation commitment, whereas prohibitive ethical voice evokes perceived emotional blackmail, leading to an avoidance of conservation commitment. Moreover, the effectiveness of ethical voice is moderated by perceived scarcity. For highly scarce cultural heritage, prohibitive (vs. promotive) ethical voice is more effective. This study offers a novel perspective on cultural heritage conservation, enriches the impact framework of ethical voice, and suggests that cultural heritage sites should fully leverage the positive role of ethical voice in fostering tourists’ conservation commitment.