Dispositional Awe and Its Effect on Destination Residents’ Pro-Environmental Behavior Intention

Residents have a profound and enduring impact on destination environmental sustainability, yet the emotional and trait-level factors of their pro-environmental behavior remain underexplored. Grounded in Broaden-and-Build theory, this study examines whether and how dispositional awe translates into Tibetan residents’ pro-environmental behavior intention. Through four complementary studies combining in-depth interviews ( N = 15) and surveys (total N = 800), we demonstrate a consistently strong association between dispositional awe and pro-environmental behavior intention. Two survey-based studies incorporating both self-reported pro-environmental behavior intention and peer-reported pro-environmental behavior reveal that this relationship is partially mediated by connectedness to nature and place identity. By shifting attention from tourists’ momentary awe experiences to residents’ enduring dispositional awe, this research advances tourism scholarship on emotion and sustainability and offers novel insights for Broaden-and-Build theory.