Short answer
Designers and marketers should focus on creating immersive and emotionally resonant creative tourism experiences that cultivate a strong sense of place and empower individuals to act more responsibly towards the environment.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Sustainability (2025)
- Method
- Quantitative research using structural equation modeling (SEM).
- Sample
- 639 participants
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Designing engaging and emotionally resonant creative tourism experiences can foster a stronger connection to a place, which in turn encourages environmentally responsible actions among Generation Z travelers. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2025 study published in Sustainability. Using Quantitative research using structural equation modeling (sem). with 639 participants, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and marketers should focus on creating immersive and emotionally resonant creative tourism experiences that cultivate a strong sense of place and empower individuals to act more responsibly towards the environment.
Creative tourism experiences can drive Gen Z's environmentally responsible behavior through engagement and place attachment.
Designing engaging and emotionally resonant creative tourism experiences can foster a stronger connection to a place, which in turn encourages environmentally responsible actions among Generation Z travelers.
Sustainability · 2025
Key Findings
- 01Creative tourism experiences (CTEs) have a significant positive impact on environmentally responsible behavior (ERB).
- 02Tourist engagement (TE) and place attachment (PAT) mediate the relationship between CTEs and ERB.
- 03Self-efficacy (SE) positively moderates both the direct and indirect effects of CTEs on ERB.
Application
Design takeaway
Designers and marketers should focus on creating immersive and emotionally resonant creative tourism experiences that cultivate a strong sense of place and empower individuals to act more responsibly towards the environment.
How to apply
When designing tourism packages or marketing campaigns targeting Gen Z, prioritize unique creative activities that evoke strong emotions and foster a connection to the local environment. Emphasize the positive impact of their responsible choices and build their confidence in their ability to contribute.
Project actions
- 01Consider how to design an experience that is not just informative but also emotionally engaging.
- 02Think about how to measure a user's sense of connection to a product or place.
- 03Explore how to build confidence in users to adopt new behaviors.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Utilizes a robust statistical method (SEM) to analyze complex relationships.
- +Integrates multiple theoretical frameworks (self-regulation of attitude theory, CAC framework).
Limitations
It can be challenging to isolate the effect of the 'creative' aspect of an experience from other factors that might influence behavior. Measuring 'place attachment' can also be subjective.
Reliability & validity
The use of SEM and a large sample size contributes to the reliability and validity of the findings. However, self-reported data may be subject to social desirability bias.
Think critically
To what extent can 'creative tourism experiences' be universally designed to evoke similar emotional responses and drive environmentally responsible behavior across diverse cultural backgrounds and age groups?
Design Principles
"Emotional connection and perceived efficacy are key drivers of sustainable consumer behavior in experiential markets."
Understanding the psychological drivers behind consumer behavior is critical for market segmentation and product development. This research highlights how to tap into the values of a key demographic, Generation Z, to promote sustainable practices within the tourism sector.
What This Means for Your Design
Making travel experiences creative and fun can make young people care more about the environment and act responsibly, especially if they feel connected to the place and believe they can make a difference.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify the design of an experience that aims to promote sustainable behavior.
- 2.Reference the mediating roles of engagement and place attachment when explaining how your design achieves its goals.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research indicates that creative tourism experiences can significantly influence environmentally responsible behavior by fostering tourist engagement and place attachment, with self-efficacy acting as a key moderator. This suggests that design interventions should focus on creating emotionally resonant and empowering experiences to drive sustainable actions.
Source
Sustainability
Influence of Creative Tourist Experiences and Engagement on Gen Z’s Environmentally Responsible Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model
journal · 2025
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about creative tourism experiences can drive gen z's environmentally responsible behavior through engagement and place attachment?
- Designers and marketers should focus on creating immersive and emotionally resonant creative tourism experiences that cultivate a strong sense of place and empower individuals to act more responsibly towards the environment. Evidence: Sustainability (2025).
- Why does "Creative tourism experiences can drive Gen Z's environmentally responsible behavior through engagement and place attachment." matter for design?
- Understanding the psychological drivers behind consumer behavior is critical for market segmentation and product development. This research highlights how to tap into the values of a key demographic, Generation Z, to promote sustainable practices within the tourism sector.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers and marketers should focus on creating immersive and emotionally resonant creative tourism experiences that cultivate a strong sense of place and empower individuals to act more responsibly towards the environment.
- What were the main findings?
- Creative tourism experiences (CTEs) have a significant positive impact on environmentally responsible behavior (ERB).. Tourist engagement (TE) and place attachment (PAT) mediate the relationship between CTEs and ERB.. Self-efficacy (SE) positively moderates both the direct and indirect effects of CTEs on ERB.
- What research method was used?
- Quantitative research using structural equation modeling (SEM). with 639 participants.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2025 journal from Sustainability.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing tourism packages or marketing campaigns targeting Gen Z, prioritize unique creative activities that evoke strong emotions and foster a connection to the local environment. Emphasize the positive impact of their responsible choices and build their confidence in their ability to contribute.
- What are the limitations?
- The study was conducted within the Chinese tourism market, and findings may not be directly generalizable to other cultural contexts. The focus on Generation Z may also limit applicability to other age groups.