The Relations between Green Tourism Experience, Well-Being and Word-of-Mouth: The Moderating Role of Collectivism

This study, against the backdrop of the tourism industry’s green transformation and current demands, integrates green tourism theory, experience economy theory, and “environment-behavior” relationship theory to explore the impact of green tourism experiences on tourists’ word-of-mouth (WOM). The research reveals that tourism well-being mediates the relationship between green tourism experiences and tourists’ WOM, with collectivism positively moderating this relationship. Tourists with stronger collectivism are more likely to extend their personal happiness to the group level, sharing the satisfaction and benefits derived from their tourism experiences. The theoretical contribution of this paper is its in-depth exploration of the broad concept of green tourism, dissecting the connotations and types of green tourism experiences and categorizing them into three dimensions: green sensory experience, green emotional experience, and green social experience. Tourism well-being is viewed as a multidimensional comprehensive concept that acts as a mediating variable, inherently integrated with the context of green tourism and encompassing sensory enjoyment, leisure relaxation, as well as profound satisfaction and self-actualization. The introduction of collectivism as a moderating variable highlights the influence of cultural background and personal values on the aftermath of green tourism experiences, providing new research perspectives for tourism psychology and marketing. The study concludes with practical management recommendations for tourism destination operators, aimed at promoting the industry’s green transformation and sustainable development, thereby contributing significant academic and social value.