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Article

Influential Factors Affecting Tea Tourists’ Behavior Intention in Cultural Ecosystem Services: An Affordance Perspective

by
Lingbo Fu
1,
Chengyu Xiong
1,2,* and
Min Xu
3
1
School of Cultural Industries Management, Communication University of China, Beijing 100024, China
2
Tourism School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
3
College of Architecture and Landscape Design, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15503; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115503
Submission received: 19 September 2023 / Revised: 19 October 2023 / Accepted: 30 October 2023 / Published: 31 October 2023
(This article belongs to the Section Tourism, Culture, and Heritage)
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Abstract

:
Tea tourism has gained prominence recently, particularly with the recognition of traditional Chinese tea processing techniques as an intangible cultural heritage. Nevertheless, as a niche form of tourism, knowledge gaps persist regarding the understanding of tea tourists’ perceptions of the tourism environment and their subsequent impact on behavior intentions. Underpinned by affordance theory, this study aims to investigate the role of tourism environment affordance in shaping behavior intentions through emotional value and cultural identity. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed to analyze survey data collected from 296 online responses provided by tea tourists. The key findings are as follows: (1) tea tourists primarily visit sites like a tea village, tea garden, and tea house, typically once or twice annually, with visits lasting 2–4 or 4–8 h; (2) convenient transportation and facilities, educational opportunities, and well-designed environments emerge as the most influential aspects of tourism environment affordance; and (3) tourism environment affordance significantly influences emotional value and cultural identity, and these in turn act as mediators between tourism environment affordance and behavior intentions. Therefore, this study expands the application of affordance theory to tea tourism by elucidating how perceptions of tourism environment affordance impact tea tourists’ behavior intentions and it deepens our understanding of the flow of cultural ecosystem services. Additionally, it underscores the pivotal role of tourism in providing cultural ecosystem services for preserving intangible cultural heritage and nurturing cultural identity. Practical implications for promoting tea tourism as cultural ecosystem services are also gleaned from our findings.

1. Introduction

Intangible cultural heritage is emerging as a significant resource in global cultural tourism [1]. It encompasses oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, and festive events that have been passed down through generations and are acknowledged by communities as integral aspects of their heritage [2]. Tea, a globally cherished and time-honored beverage [3], has deep roots in China’s history of production and consumption, forming a strong emotional relationship with Chinese people. Its origins can be traced back to the Pre-Qin dynasty [4], subsequently spreading across the globe and contributing to tea’s worldwide acclaim [5]. In 2022, China’s traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices earned a place on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This recognition has propelled the growth of tea tourism, providing individuals with the opportunity to delve into Chinese tea culture, and fostering cultural identity [6]. Cultural ecosystem services are defined as intangible benefits arising from multi-dimensional human-nature relationships [7,8]. Cultural ecosystem services serve as a useful lens through which to examine the multiple layers of benefits arising from tea tourism. These are intangible benefits accrued from the complex interplay between humans and environment, including cultural heritage, education, and the reinforcement of cultural identity [7,8]. Jolliffe [9] established a link between tea and tourism by positing that cultural tourism seamlessly blends consumable products and experiences. He argued that tea tourism involves travel motivated by an interest in the historical traditions and consumption of tea [9]. This fusion of tea and tourism yields a plethora of experiences, from tea tasting and cultural demonstrations to guided tours of tea production sites [10]. These offerings afford tourists diverse and immersive cultural ecosystem services, enriching their engagement with tea-related facets and fostering a sense of identity [5,7]. Tea tourism has gained increasing attention in recent years due to its strong connection with sustainable nature development [11] and the preservation of traditional Chinese culture [5,12]. Despite its growing prominence, tea tourism merits further exploration of its non-monetary attributes between environment and human, such as perceptions from the perspective of cultural ecosystem services [9,13].
Prior research into tea tourism has extensively scrutinized the impacts of various factors on tourists’ perceptions. Specifically, destination image [14,15], service quality [12,16], tourism-supporting facilities [12], and nostalgic sentiments [14] have been identified as significant determinants shaping tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty [14,17]. Although these studies pertaining to tea tourists’ experiences have laid a robust foundation for comprehending the influence of these elements on tea tourists’ perceptions, certain research gaps persist, necessitating further investigation. Firstly, there exists a need for a comprehensive understanding of the attributes of tea tourism environments that significantly impact tea tourists’ perceptions. At the heart of tourists’ perceptions and behaviors lies their initial impressions of their surroundings [18]. Therefore, a heightened emphasis should be placed on understanding the characteristics of tea tourism environments, the derived products, and their consequent effects on tourists’ perceptions and behaviors. Secondly, it is imperative to acknowledge the profound implications of tea tourists’ perceptions, which transcend mere escapism and mood elevation. Tea tourism serves as an avenue for tourists to immerse themselves in traditional tea culture [19], thereby enriching their cultural identity [8,9]. By delving into the cultural facets of tea tourism, tourists not only escape from their bustling lives and attain a deeper understanding of tea culture but also forge a more profound emotional bond with tea tourism sites [20,21], thus contributing to both economic and cultural growth of the sustainable tea tourism. Consequently, to maximize the advantages of cultural ecosystem services, it is imperative to prioritize research on perceived emotional value intertwined with tea tourism, the role of tea tourism in nurturing tourists’ cultural identity, and behavior intentions.
Affordance theory, originating from ecological psychology and introduced by Gibson [22], conceptualizes the environment’s potential to offer opportunities or constraints to organisms, either good or ill. Affordance exists as a relationship between an actor and the environment, relative to the action possibilities of the actor [23,24]. With a focus on a sequential realization of affordance, this theory provides a valuable framework for examining the consecutive progression from affordance existence to affordance perception and, ultimately, to affordance actualization [25]. Affordance existence refers to the inherent presence of action opportunities within a given environment or context [26,27]. In the context of tourism, tourists’ experiences are initially influenced by the potential actions that the physical tourism environment affords, followed by their perception of activities based on their capabilities, aligning with the core essence of affordance [28]. Therefore, affordance theory outlines a phased framework that encompasses the transition from what tourists can discern from the environment to how they emotionally engage with it and what actions they ultimately undertake, which corresponds to the overall tourism experience process [25,26]. However, the application of affordance theory in tourism has predominantly revolved around exploring the impact of digital technology on tourists’ experiences, encompassing social media [29], hotel mobile app [30], gamification in online travel agencies [31], and digital media usage [32,33]. The integration of affordance theory into the initial perception of tourists from cultural ecosystem services remains relatively limited.
Within tea tourism context, various affordances, including tea-related activities, services, and facilities [12] exist in the tea tourism environment as perceived by tea tourists [34]. This perception subsequently influences tourists’ behavior intentions [35,36]. Therefore, incorporating affordance theory into the study of tea tourism provides an important framework for observing the sequential journey from affordance existence to affordance perception, and eventually to affordance actualization [28,37]. Furthermore, it facilitates a deeper comprehension of the dynamic interaction between the tea tourism environment and tea tourists, and how perceptions of tea tourism can potentially shape their subsequent behavior intentions [14]. Despite the recognized applicability of affordance theory in unraveling the intricate dynamics between tourists and tea tourism environment [28], scholarly attention dedicated to exploring what the tourism environment can afford to tourists, and how it molds tourists’ perceptions and behavior intentions is scarce.
Given the aforementioned research context, this study adopts affordance theory as its conceptual framework and employs the structural equation modeling approach to delve into the influencing factors and mechanisms that shape the perception and behavior intention of tea tourists. This research endeavors to address the following pivotal inquiries: (1) What specific tourism environment affordance exists within the sphere of tea tourism, and how do these instances resonate with tourists’ perceptions? (2) How do tea tourists perceive their environment in light of affordance theory and subsequently cultivate behavior intentions? This study is poised to deliver several notable contributions to the realm of tea tourism research and overall cultural ecosystem services. Primarily, it strives to construct a theoretical affordance framework for comprehending the sequential flow of cultural ecosystem services, namely tourists’ environmental perception and intention formation. This strategic initiative answers the call to infuse tourism with the principles of affordance theory. Moreover, from a pragmatic perspective, this study is anticipated to yield insightful recommendations for the effective application of affordance theory within the realm of tea tourism, thereby fortifying a robust interplay between tea culture and the thriving tourism industry to fulfill the benefits of cultural ecosystem service.

2. Literature Review and Hypothesis Development

2.1. Affordance Theory in the Tourism Environment

Affordance theory, originally proposed by Gibson [22], refers to the potential behaviors associated with an environment. Gibson introduced the concept of affordance to capture the synergy between the environment and subjects, with a focus on interactions within the ecological system [38]. As affordance represents a potential for action, its realization necessitates perception [24], and subsequent enactment by goal-oriented tourists [39]. Moreover, the actualization of affordance heavily relies on people’s capabilities [26], same applies to tourists as illustrated in Figure 1. Affordance manifests when individuals perceive opportunities for action within their surroundings [22]. Building upon this foundation, Bernhard et al. [25] extended the theory of affordance, delving into the origin and realization of affordance, and proposed a comprehensive model that delineates the entire process of perceiving and actualizing affordances, taking into consideration their dependence on existing environmental cues. As posited by Bernhard et al. [25], the affordance existence impacts their perception, which then influences their actualization. Pozzi et al. [26] corroborated this phased process in an information system context, cementing a framework encompassing affordance existence, perception, and actualization. Following its development by eco-psychologists, the concept of affordances swiftly found application across diverse research domains. These encompass product design [40,41], environmental design [42,43], communication [44,45], tourism [33,46], and information system [24,47].
Previous research has predominantly focused on distinct dimensions of the affordance framework, which can be categorized into three main groups: delineating diverse manifestations of affordance within different tourism contexts, adopting affordance theory as a methodological approach, and elucidating the mechanisms underlying the perception of affordance and its impact on specific behaviors. Initially, the diversity inherent in various types of tourism results in varying affordance existence within distinct contexts [48]. For instance, within the realm of tourism, social media offers affordances such as editability, persistence, visibility, and association [49]. Similarly, the Chinese online social commerce environment presents affordances such as shopping guidance, trading, visibility, and social contracting [50]. The second category of analysis aligns with the foundational notion of affordances by investigating how certain places afford particular behaviors to tourists [46]. For example, Bærenholdt et al. [51] identified that a beach offers tourists numerous potential activities like swimming and constructing sandcastles. Likewise, Qi et al. [52] conducted a case study on a cycleway on the outskirts of Kunming, China, and revealed different patterns and factors that contribute to the actualization of affordances, demonstrating that scenic cycleways encompass categories such as recreational, incidental, consumptive, and sportive, comprising a total of 18 distinct affordance types. Ackerman [53] focused on Walden Pond in Concord, USA, and utilized affordance theory to interpret the locus of meaning-making and the nexus between pilgrims and tourists. The third type of analysis revolves around examining the perception of affordances and how such perception influences tourist behavior. For instance, Azinuddin et al. [34] conducted a survey on Langkawi Island and found that perceived design affordances significantly impact perceived value, which subsequently affects destination reputation and loyalty in ecotourism. Moreover, Borghini et al. [54] revealed that sensory, symbolic, and cognitive affordances within a space evoke feelings of attachment or detachment among customers of their favorite stores. While Shi et al. [31] combined affordance theory and the theory of consumption value to investigate how gamification affects tourists’ diverse perceptions of value and subsequently influences purchase intentions, the existing literature still lacks an exploration of the tourism environment affordance and its interplay with tourists’ perceptions, which ultimately shapes their comprehensive behavior intentions.

2.2. Tourists’ Behavior in Tea Tourism and Its Influencing Factors

Tea tourism is a form of tourism driven by a fascination with the history, culture, traditions, and consumption of tea [9]. It is intricately linked to activities related to tea, such as exploring tea culture, participating in tea tastings, engaging in tea-related leisure pursuits, and more [5,55]. Therefore, it serves as a representative case for studying the benefits of intangible cultural heritage within the broader framework of cultural ecosystem services. While the cognitive-behavioral theory has found extensive application in tea tourism studies, several scholars have pointed out its limitations, notably its inadequate consideration of the interplay between the environment and human experiences, as well as its narrow focus solely on tourist satisfaction. Initial criticisms revolve around the theory’s oversight of the dynamic interrelation between the environment and human experiences, predominantly concentrating on how cognitive processes shape behavior intention [56]. Moreover, satisfaction alone fails to encapsulate the entirety of a tourist’s experience [57]. Within the field of tea tourism, these dimensions expand to include emotional value and cultural identity, given the significant role that tea plays as an integral component of intangible cultural heritage [58]. To delve more profoundly into the experiences of tea tourists, the affordance framework emerges as a useful perspective [28,59]. Unlike a focus solely on perception, the affordance framework delves into the reciprocal influence between the environment and perceptions, ultimately shaping tourists’ behavior intentions [25]. By providing a comprehensive approach, it enables a more nuanced examination of the intricacies underpinning tea tourism experiences. Nonetheless, little research has employed affordance theory as a lens to analyze tea tourists’ encounters.
Factors like entertainment, education, aesthetics, services, and facilities can be viewed as instances of tourism environment affordance that are perceived by tea tourists, subsequently influencing their experience. Previous studies mostly concentrated on tea tourism offerings, investigating what aspects tourists primarily perceive from the environment and how these aspects can potentially shape their perception. For instance, Ng et al. [16] employed PLS-SEM and found that the quality of destination services, encompassing activities, amenities, cleanliness, hospitality, language, security, and overall service, significantly impacts the creation of memorable tourism experiences. Zhou [12] investigated the tea tourism town of Wushan as a case study, employing exploratory factor analysis to discern that service quality, environmental design, tourism transportation, and the availability of tourism-supporting facilities are particularly crucial within the context of tea tourism. Likewise, professional services, environmental design, and distinctive tea cultural characteristics emerge as pivotal factors influencing tourists’ perceptions [12]. Similarly, Quynh and Chi [60] discovered that characteristics of nature, service quality, infrastructure, and emotional values stand out as major factors influencing tourists’ perceptions. Despite these valuable insights, a gap still exists in the literature regarding the exploration of how the presence of affordances impacts tourists’ perceptions.
Drawing from the prevailing cognitive-behavioral and satisfaction theories, extensive research has concentrated on examining the interaction between perceptions and the behavior of tea tourists [12,14]. Scholars have demonstrated diversity in their choice of constructs, driven by distinct research objectives. For example, Bu et al. [61] uncovered that individuals’ perception of healthiness positively influences their intention to purchase organic tea, which is further shaped by factors like product quality and consumer service. Mondal and Samaddar [13] established a correlation between tourists’ attitudes and their behavioral patterns. Furthermore, Zhang et al. [14] identified that elements such as destination image, nostalgic feelings, flow experiences, and cultural identity significantly impact tourists’ behavior intentions within the realm of tea tourism. Chanin et al. [17] enhance the discourse by accentuating the importance of sustainable livelihood, subjective norms, and attitudes in shaping tourists’ intentions to revisit. It is noteworthy that tea, emblematic of Chinese traditional culture, possesses the inherent capability to evoke emotional resonance and foster the establishment of cultural identity [5]. Given this context, it becomes imperative to delve into the manner in which tea tourists’ perceptions of affordances—encompassing emotional value and cultural identity—ultimately influence their behavior intentions like revisit and purchase willingness within the overarching affordance framework.

2.3. Hypothesis Development

2.3.1. Tourism Environment Affordance and Affordance Perception

Tourism environment affordance in tea tourism refers to offerings provided by tea tourism sites, including their natural environment, entertainment activities, learning opportunities, services, and facilities [12,16]. According to affordance theory, affordance existence has consistently emerged as a substantial determinant of tourists’ perceptions [25]. Among these perceptions, emotional value stands out as one of the most pivotal, exerting significant influence on behavior intentions [60]. Within the realm of tea tourism, emotional value is defined as the outcome of individual evaluations of tourism products and services based on emotional benefits [62]. Researchers have identified that the tourism environment affordance provided by tourism experience exerts an influence on tourists’ emotional value, consequently shaping their behaviors such as revisit intention and purchase intention. For example, Song et al. [63] discovered that tourism encompasses educational, entertainment, aesthetic, and escapist experiences, all of which distinctly contribute to positive influences on emotional values, particularly evident during temple stays. Lee et al. [58] also investigated how tourism environment affordance presented through tourism experiences disproportionately impacted tourists’ emotional value in comparison to functional value, consequently shaping their behavior intentions.
Hypothesis 1 (H1).
Tourism environment affordance has a significant positive effect on emotional value.
The perception of affordances encompasses not only emotional value but also cultural identity [5]. Since tourism environment affordance has been demonstrated to impact their perception, it follows that both the perception of emotional value and cultural identity could be influenced by tourism environment affordance in the context of tea tourism. Cultural identity represents an elevated stage of recognizing tourism experiences and is notably influenced by these experiences [21,64]. Weber [5] contended that tea tourism serves as a mechanism for constructing modern national and regional identities due to its close association with tradition and culture. Tourists shape their cultural identity through cultural tourism, facilitated by the exposure to historical and cultural symbols during their engagement with cultural ecosystem service [65,66]. For example, Hunter [67] investigated the impact of cultural representation on cultural identity, revealing that tourism experiences play a substantial role in the development of tourists’ cultural identity. Likewise, within the context of tea tourism, these spaces serve not only as natural experiences but also as platforms for tourists to gain insights into traditional culture and foster their cultural identity [10].
Hypothesis 2 (H2).
Tourism environment affordance has a significant positive effect on cultural identity.

2.3.2. Affordance Perception and Behavior Intention

In this study, affordance perception includes emotional value and cultural identity. Tourists’ emotions play a pivotal role in their behavior responses such as revisit and purchase intention [68,69]. For example, Prayag et al. [70] gathered data from tourists visiting Petra to establish a correlation between tourists’ emotions and their behavior intentions. Brochado et al. [71] also substantiated the impact of tourists’ emotional value on their behavior intentions, including recommendations, through the analysis of survey data from Portuguese tourists. Moreover, Rasoolimanesh et al. [72] utilized data collected from Kashan, Iran, to provide evidence that the emotional value derived from tourists’ tourism experiences notably influences their behavior intentions.
Hypothesis 3 (H3).
Emotional value has a significant positive effect on behavior intention.
Numerous empirical studies have substantiated that cultural identity is either cultivated through tourism or exerts an influence on specific behavior intentions. For instance, Wang et al. [73] gathered survey data from 1095 visitors to Zunyi and Yan’an and utilized the PLS-SEM method to establish that positive and significant correlations exist between emotional experiences, national identity, and behavior intentions. Within the framework of tea tourism, emotional value, and cultural identity are particularly relevant, as this study employs affordance theory to demonstrate that affordance perception plays a dual role in influencing behavior intentions, encompassing both emotional and cultural dimensions.
Hypothesis 4 (H4).
Cultural identity has a significant positive effect on behavior intention.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Questionnaire Design and Data Collection

This research aims to identify the relationship between tea tourism environment affordance, emotional value, cultural identity, and behavior intention. All participants were required to complete a qualifying question before proceeding to the full questionnaire, guaranteeing that our respondents had prior traveling experiences of tea tourism. The qualifying question inquired whether participants had previously visited tea tourism destinations.
The questionnaire consists of 3 parts. The first section contained the participants’ previous tea experiences. This included the type of tea tourism sites they had visited, the frequency of their visits to tea tourism sites, the duration of their stays at these sites, and their satisfaction with their most recent tea tourism experience. The second section evaluated the constructs central to this study. The measurements for tourism environment affordance, emotional value, cultural identity, and behavior intention were adopted from established research for better validity and reliability. Of the 5 items used for tourism environment affordance, 3 were adapted from the scale developed by Madeira et al. [74] and 2 were adapted from the scale of Oh et al. [75]. The 2 emotional value items were adapted from the scale from the work of Lee et al. [58] and the scale of Sweeney et al. [76]. The selection of 2 cultural identity items was based on the work of Lin et al. [77] in 2022. Finally, for behavior intention, the 2 items were based on the study of Chen et al. [78]. All constructs were measured using a 5-point Likert scale (with 1 = “completely disagree”, and 5 = “completely agree”). All items were modified to fit the context of tea tourism. The third part encompasses participants’ demographic information, including gender, age, profession, educational level, and income.
A pilot study of 56 respondents was conducted prior to the final survey to ensure that participants comprehended the content of the questions and that it was well-suited to the context of tea tourism. The pilot study yielded a Cronbach’s Alpha value exceeding the minimum acceptable threshold of 0.70 [79], and the questionnaire was then slightly modified based on their feedback. Subsequently, a total of 20 questions were refined and tailored to the context of tea tourism. The finalized survey was distributed through a simple random sampling method. Posts were published online with an introduction to the research, an online link to the survey, and instructions for participation. A total of 376 questionnaires were collected between July 15th and 30th in 2023. We removed responses with incomplete information and those who failed the attention check. Our attention check question is “Please directly choose ‘agree’”. Finally, 296 valid questionnaires were retained, yielding a response rate of 78.7%.
Common method bias (CMB) poses a concern in studies that rely on self-reported survey data, as it pertains to the influence of the survey method on the observed variance. As this study is collected using a single data source, common method bias tests were employed to evaluate the potential presence of CMB in our data collection. To address this issue, we first conducted a Harman’s single-factor test. The result showed that 37.13% of the total variation was due to a single construct, which is well below the required threshold of 50% [80]. Additionally, we tested full collinearity of the PLS model as Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) algorithms do not model measurement error, assuming that indicators associated with a latent variable should collectively explain 100% of the variance in that latent variable [81]. Results offered reassurance, indicating that the PLS model was free from the CMB problem since the variance inflation factors (1.000 ≤ VIF ≤ 1.394) were less than the criterion value 3.3 suggested by Kock [82]. These results primarily indicated that CMB was not a significant concern in this study.
Subsequently, this research independently establishes the reliability and validity of the questionnaire’s scale using SPSS 23.0 software, followed by conducting factor analysis [83]. The calculated Cronbach’s alpha for all items is 0.829, and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure for all items is 0.871. These values indicate the reliability and validity of the scale employed in this research [84].

3.2. Structural Equation Model Analysis

The Structural Equation Model (SEM) is proficient in managing relationships between one or more independent variables and one or more dependent variables while accommodating measurement errors within both the independent and dependent variables [85]. This method finds extensive application across various domains such as marketing, environmental science, and psychology, among others [86], Its notable advantage lies in its adeptness at handling intricate relationships and the magnitude of their impact. Given the intrinsic logical progression of tea tourists’ perception of the tea tourism environment and its subsequent influence on behavior intentions, this study employs SEM to evaluate pertinent hypotheses and dissect the affordance framework within the context of tea tourism. The application of AMOS 22.0 software facilitated the statistical analysis to formulate the model for tea tourism. The goodness of fit for the model was evaluated using metrics like chi-square/degrees of freedom (χ2/df), root mean square residual (RMR), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), incremental fit index (IFI), Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI), comparative fit index (CFI), etc. [87].

4. Results

4.1. Descriptive Analysis

The survey has unveiled the demographic profile of tea tourists, revealing the intricate composition of this specialized segment of tourists. These tea tourists visit tea villages, tea gardens, and tea houses, usually once or twice a year, for stays spanning 2 to 4 h or 4 to 8 h. Marked by a balanced gender distribution, a mixture of young and seasoned travelers, and encompassing a range of vocational and educational backgrounds, tea tourism emerges as an inclusive and captivating avenue for cultural immersion and leisure. To be specific, the survey results portray a well-proportioned representation of gender among tea tourists. The age distribution of tea tourists exhibits a blend of young and mature individuals seeking experiences related to tea. A significant majority of respondents (39.86%) belong to the age group of 21 to 30 years, followed by 22.64% in the 31 to 40 years category. A substantial portion of respondents consisted of professionals in the manufacturing industry (18.92%) and the medical industry (10.81%). Additionally, a notable proportion included civil servants (12.16%), individuals from the financial industry (9.12%), and those within the service sector (11.49%). A majority of respondents (53.72%) had attained undergraduate degrees, while 29.39% held postgraduate degrees or higher, highlighting the educated demographic of tea tourists. Income distribution among tea tourists demonstrated a balanced representation across diverse income brackets. Among all tea tourists, the average satisfaction rating for their recent tea tourism experience is 3.93 out of 5, indicating a notable level of contentment. Merely 5.07% of tea tourists extend their stays at tea tourism sites beyond 8 h, whereas 47.3% opt for stays lasting 2 to 4 h, underscoring the preference for tea tourism as a short-term option.

4.2. Measurement Model

To establish the reliability of each research construct, we evaluated factor loadings, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE). Generally, a scale demonstrates good convergent validity when the standardized factor load of measurement variables onto their corresponding latent variables exceeds 0.7 and the AVE value of each latent variable is above 0.5 [88]. As observed in Table 1, the factor loading for each variable surpasses 0.7. For every variable, the composite reliability (CR) exceeds 0.7, and the average variance extracted (AVE) surpasses 0.5, signifying a measurement model with relatively strong reliability and validity [89,90].
Referring to Table 1, tourism environment affordance is characterized by a range of indicators related to the presence and quality of tea-related cultural events, experiences, meticulous design attention, professionalism of staff, as well as the provision of convenient transportation and facilities. Tea tourists expressed higher levels of satisfaction with regard to entertainment, transportation, facilities, and the educational aspects of tourism environment affordance in tea tourism. The substantial factor loading indicates a robust correlation of these indicators with the overarching concept of tourism environment affordance. This underscores the significant contributions of elements such as transportation and facilities, educational significance, and the aesthetic environment in shaping the comprehensive notion of affordance within the context of tea tourism. Furthermore, the factor loading for indicators associated with emotional value highlights that visits to tea tourism sites are intrinsically linked to feelings of pleasure and relaxation. Similarly, both the factor loadings and means for indicators of cultural identity reveal that tea tourists take pride in their association with tea culture and possess a profound appreciation for its historical significance. Moreover, tea tourists are inclined to revisit tea tourism sites and display a strong interest in purchasing tea-related products and services, as evidenced by a factor loading of 0.854.
Table 2 affirms the discriminant validity analysis of the scale evaluated through AVE [91]. A construct must share more variance with its indicators than with other constructs of the research model, which occurs when the square root of AVE between each pair of constructs is higher than the estimated correlation between those factors, thus ratifying its discriminant validity. The square foot values of all constructs in this study are greater than the maximum value of the estimated inter-factor correlation coefficients, demonstrating the constructs possess good discriminant validity.
We also conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to validate the measurement model for latent constructs in this study [92]. As depicted in Table 3, the results of CFA indicate that the model fit is generally good, as evidenced by several fit indices. For example, χ2/df is 0.99 below the threshold of 3. Other fit indices, including the comparative fit index (CFI), normed fit index (NFI), and non-normed fit index (NNFI), all exceed the commonly accepted threshold of 0.9, indicating a good fit. Additionally, the path coefficients for all latent factors indicate statistically significant relationships with their respective observed variables, which suggests that the latent factors are underlying constructs for the measured constructs in a research model.

4.3. Structural Equation Model

This study employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine hypotheses H1 to H4. The goodness-of-fit indices, presented in Table 4, encompass chi-square/degrees of freedom (χ2/df), root mean square residual (RMR), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), incremental fit index (IFI), Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI), and comparative fit index (CFI). The χ2/df ratio of 2.78, which is below the threshold of 3, indicates that the model meets the specified criteria. Additionally, the other indicators also satisfy the required conditions. Consequently, the overall fit of the model can be deemed satisfactory.
Table 5 displays the path coefficients and their corresponding significance levels, as depicted in Figure 2. Path relationships are considered statistically significant when p < 0.05. The p-values presented in Table 5 meet the requisite criteria for significance and can serve as a robust foundation for establishing valid path relationships.
As evident from both Table 5 and Figure 3, within the context of tea tourism, the indicators of convenience of transportation and facilities, learning opportunities, and well-designed environments emerge as the most crucial and prominent factors influencing tourism environment affordance. Tourism environment affordance demonstrates a positive and significant impact on emotional value (β = 0.549, CR = 5.723, t = 5.527, p = 0.000), as well as on cultural identity (β = 0.358, CR = 4.057, t = 4.079, p = 0.000). Furthermore, emotional value exhibits a positive and significant influence on behavior intention (β = 0.617, CR = 5.976, t = 5.223, p = 0.000), while cultural identity also displays a positive and significant effect on behavior intention (β = 0.543, CR = 5.182, t = 4.621, p = 0.000). Hence, hypotheses H1, H2, H3, and H4 are supported. Notably, tourism environment affordance exerts a stronger influence on emotional value compared to its impact on cultural identity, and emotional value holds a more substantial effect on behavior intention than cultural identity.

5. Discussion

5.1. Applying Affordance Theory in Tea Tourism Context

This study has made a theoretical contribution by introducing an affordance framework that elucidates affordance existence, affordance perception, and affordance actualization. The findings demonstrate that tourism environment affordance significantly and positively influences both emotional value and cultural identity. Additionally, both emotional value and cultural identity act as intermediaries, mediating the relationship between tourism environment affordance and behavior intention. Within the specific context of tea tourism, this affordance framework proves insightful, shedding light on the intricate dimensions of tea tourism and its potential as a culturally immersive and inclusive form of cultural ecosystem services [17,93]. These results underscore the pivotal role of crafting meticulously designed tea tourism experiences via cultural ecosystem services that evoke positive emotions and nurture cultural connections.
This study makes three main contributions. Firstly, it employs affordance theory within the context of tea tourism, addressing the call for tourism research that focuses on the tourism experience itself [28,59]. Affordance theory offers a fresh and insightful framework to comprehend how individuals perceive and interact with tourism environment affordance, highlighting the potential for action and the opportunities an environment presents [34,59]. By applying affordance theory to the analysis of tea tourism, this study illuminates the distinctive and multifaceted elements that tea tourists encounter at various tea tourism sites [12]. The findings indicate that the tourism environment affordance at tea tourism sites positively impacts the emotional value and cultural identity of tea tourists with regard to their experiences. Furthermore, the study unveils that emotional value and cultural identity function as mediators between tourism environment affordance and behavior intention. This underscores the dynamic interplay between tourism environment affordance in tea tourism and tourists’ emotional and cultural responses, which ultimately affects their intentions to revisit sites and engage in tea-related purchases [94]. The adoption of affordance theory in this context allows for a deeper exploration of the psychological processes that influence tea tourists’ decision-making and behaviors [95,96], proving both monetary and non-monetary values of cultural ecosystem services [7,8].
Secondly, this study uncovered indicators of tourism environment affordance in the context of tea tourism. Previous research has largely overlooked tourism environment affordance that tourists might perceive as provided by the environment itself [34,97]. Thus, it is necessary and crucial to examine how tourism environment affordance in a specific context could impact subsequent phases. As tea tourism offers a multi-strength interactive approach for perceiving tourism environment affordance [11], the assessment of tourism environment affordance within tea tourism can be elucidated through five indicators inherent to tea tourism sites. Among these, convenient transportation, learning opportunities, and a well-designed environment emerge as the top three critical indicators of tourism environment affordance in the context of tea tourism. Consistent with prior studies, education, along with transportation and facilities, represents a major affordance within tea tourism [98,99,100]. It is unsurprising that transportation and facilities are of paramount concern to tea tourists, given that tea tourism sites are often situated away from urban centers [5,12]. Tourists often have a predilection for transitioning from urban to rural settings, seeking respite from their bustling lives [101]. Similarly, the high educational motivation among tea tourists is comprehensible, as it is triggered by their desire to relax while acquiring knowledge [16,74]. Given the close association of tea with traditional Chinese culture and the rapid local development of the tea industry [11,55], tea tourists are inclined to immerse themselves in tea culture and delve into its history, rituals, and practices to satisfy their curiosity during the tea tour. Furthermore, tea tourism is often viewed as a means to connect with nature and experience the synergy between humanity and the environment through the medium of tea [102], thereby evoking aesthetic sentiments among tea tourists as they engage in tea tourism.
Thirdly, the study demonstrates that emotional value and cultural identity function as mediators between tourism environment affordance and behavior intention among tea tourists. This finding suggests that the emotional experiences derived from visiting tea tourism sites and the sense of cultural connection assume crucial roles in shaping tourists’ intentions to revisit these sites and partake in purchases of tea-related products and services [12,15,16]. In line with prior research, emotional value is a subjective construct, exhibiting variation among tourists, and significantly influencing the purchase of tourism offerings and intentions to revisit [94,103]. Numerous studies have corroborated the link between cultural identity and behavior intention [21,104]. Given that tea tourism encapsulates Chinese traditional culture through its emphasis on tea [5], cultural identity assumes the status of a perceived affordance, capable of affecting the actualization of affordances.

5.2. Implication for Tea Tourism

The findings of this study provide valuable practical insights for managers of tea tourism sites, aiding them in refining their services, offerings, and facilities to enhance tourism environment affordance. As the results underscore, tourism environment affordance significantly and positively influences emotional value and cultural identity. Consequently, the design and administration of tea tourism sites should center on furnishing distinctive and captivating elements that pique tourists’ curiosity and immerse them in tea-related cultural events and activities so that various tourism environment affordance could affect tourists’ perceived affordance, such as emotion and attitudes [105]. For instance, interactive experiences like tea picking, leaf rolling, and tea ritual learning could be incorporated into tea tourism sites, offering tourists both entertainment and knowledge about tea [16]. For example, tea tourism destination can leverage its natural and cultural resources and design unique tourism routes, namely, tea landscape scenery tour, tea color and fragrance tour, traditional techniques tour, etc. Additionally, the provision of informative lectures, interpretive panels, and multimedia displays can educate visitors about the intricate process of tea production and the profound role of tea in Chinese culture, thereby nurturing their curiosity and fostering emotional value and cultural identity [106,107]. Furthermore, meticulous attention to the site’s environment and the display of professionalism by staff members contribute to a positive perception of tea tourism sites [96]. Much attention should be paid to service quality and staff selection and training and friendly attitudes and professional knowledge would be most appreciated [108]. Hence, it is imperative to train the tea tourism staff to exhibit professionalism and to meticulously design the tea tourism sites. For instance, stakeholders of tea tourism sites can ensure universal accessibility, enhancing transportation and facilities to cater to the convenience of tea tourists [12].
Furthermore, tea tourism site managers should underscore the significance of cultivating emotional connections with tea tourists and promoting the profound intangible cultural heritage associated with tea. This emphasis can enhance overall satisfaction and loyalty towards tea tourism destinations [21,61]. The study’s findings strongly indicate that emotional value and cultural identity significantly influence behavior intentions such as revisiting and making purchases. To address the psychological needs of tourists, tea tourism destination should develop diversified and characteristic value-added products to stir their positive emotions [109]. Therefore, offering authentic cultural experiences related to tea, such as participating in traditional tea ceremonies, engaging in expert-led tea tastings, and joining tea harvesting activities, can evoke strong emotional responses and enhance cultural identity [110]. Organizing cultural events centered around tea, including traditional music, dance, and rituals, can also contribute to emotional value and cultural identity formation [111]. Culturally innovative design of both products and experiences also helps in shaping cultural identity and later influences behavior intentions. These events provide tourists with firsthand experiences of local tea culture, creating lasting emotional memories. As a result, tea tourists are more likely to revisit the sites and make tea-related purchases, contributing to the sustainability of tea tourism.

6. Conclusions

Based on affordance theory, this study aims to explore the intricate interconnections among tourism environment affordance, emotional value, cultural identity, and behavior intention within the context of tea tourism. The study’s findings reveal that the demographic profile of tea tourists is intricate, characterized by a well-balanced distribution across genders, a mixture of both younger and mature travelers, and diverse vocational and educational backgrounds. Notably, tea tourists exhibit a pronounced preference for elements such as convenient transportation and facilities, learning opportunities, and the aesthetical design of their surroundings. Furthermore, the study establishes a significant and positive correlation between tourism environment affordance and emotional value, as well as cultural identity. Importantly, emotional value and cultural identity serve as crucial mediators, facilitating the influence of tourism environment affordance on behavior intention. Moreover, this research introduces a sequential affordance model illustrating the progression of cultural ecosystem services, namely from affordance existence to perception, and subsequently, to actualization in the tea tourism context. This analysis not only affirms the validity of affordance theory and its underlying conceptual framework but finds factors influencing tea tourists’ behavior intention in cultural ecosystem services.
However, certain limitations of this study necessitate consideration. While the integration of affordance theory to comprehend the intricate interconnections among tourism environment affordance, emotional value, cultural identity, and behavior intention in the realm of tea tourism is a valuable contribution, there remains potential for further refinement in terms of theoretical and conceptual development. For instance, forthcoming research could explore supplementary variables that exert an impact on the genesis of emotional value and cultural identity in tea tourism. Variables including tourist motivations, destination image, and socio-cultural contexts hold promise for enriching our understanding. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that this study primarily accentuates the emotional and cultural dimensions of tourism, thereby paying less attention to the influence of monetary factors on behavior intention. To address this, future research could extensively probe other perceptual variables such as functional value, social value, and epistemic value.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, L.F.; methodology, L.F. and M.X.; validation, L.F.; formal analysis, L.F.; investigation, L.F.; writing—original draft preparation, L.F.; writing—review and editing, L.F. and M.X.; visualization, L.F.; supervision, L.F. and C.X.; project administration, L.F. and C.X.; funding acquisition, L.F. and C.X. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by “the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities”, grant number CUC230D031.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

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Figure 1. Affordance Framework in Tourism Context.
Figure 1. Affordance Framework in Tourism Context.
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Figure 2. Hypotheses in Proposed Theoretical Framework.
Figure 2. Hypotheses in Proposed Theoretical Framework.
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Figure 3. Structural equation model and result analysis diagram.
Figure 3. Structural equation model and result analysis diagram.
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Table 1. Results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (N = 296).
Table 1. Results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (N = 296).
MeanFactor LoadingCRAVE
Tourism Environment Affordance 0.8780.590
TAE1: There are events, shows, performances of tea-related culture.4.0880.749
TAE2: The experience stimulated my curiosity about tea.4.0410.781
TAE3: The environment showed attention to detail design.3.7840.763
TAE4: The staff were professional.3.8180.749
TAE5: The transportation and facilities there are convenient.4.0470.800
Emotional Value 0.8490.737
EV1: Visiting the tea tourism site was pleasurable.3.8550.859
EV2: Tea tourism experience is one that I would feel relaxed.3.8380.859
Cultural Identity 0.8460.733
CI1: I am proud of our Chinese tea culture.3.7200.857
CI2: Our country has a profound history of tea.3.6490.857
Behavior Intention 0.8430.729
BI1: I tent to revisit this tea tourism site in the future.3.7130.854
BI2: I would like to purchase tea-related products and services.3.7670.854
CR = composite reliability; AVE = average variance extracted.
Table 2. Results of Discriminant Validity Analysis of Scale.
Table 2. Results of Discriminant Validity Analysis of Scale.
Tourism Environment AffordanceBehavior
Intention		Cultural IdentityEmotional Value
Tourism Environment Affordance0.699
Behavior Intention0.3570.689
Cultural Identity0.2480.5340.686
Emotional Value0.2880.5600.5210.678
Below the diagonal: correlation estimated between the constructs; diagonal: square root of average variance extracted.
Table 3. Results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis.
Table 3. Results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis.
NameJudgment CriterionResults
χ2/df<31.063
RMR<0.100.033
RMSEA<0.100.009
IFI>0.90.998
TLI>0.90.996
CFI>0.90.997
NFI>0.90.960
NNFI>0.90.996
RMR = root mean square residual; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; IFI = incremental fit index; TLI = Tucker–Lewis index; CFI = comparative fit index; NFI = normed fit index; NNFI = non normed fit index.
Table 4. SEM model applicability.
Table 4. SEM model applicability.
NameJudgment CriterionResults
χ2/df<32.776
RMR<0.100.985
RMSEA<0.100.078
IFI>0.90.928
TLI>0.90.900
CFI>0.90.926
NFI>0.90.920
NNFI>0.90.900
RMR = root mean square residual; RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; IFI = incremental fit index; TLI = Tucker–Lewis index; CFI = comparative fit index; NFI = normed fit index; NNFI = non normed fit index.
Table 5. Path coefficients of SEM and significance levels.
Table 5. Path coefficients of SEM and significance levels.
Model PathCoefficientSECRpStandardized Coefficient
TAE→EV0.5490.0965.723***0.502
TAE→CI0.3580.0884.057***0.367
EV→BI0.6170.1035.976***0.639
CI→BI0.5430.1055.182***0.501
TAE1←TAE1 0.669
TAE2←TAE1.080.10610.2***0.717
TAE3←TAE1.1120.1139.848***0.686
TAE4←TAE1.0790.1119.731***0.676
TAE5←TAE1.1140.10710.39***0.735
EV1←EV1 0.677
EV2←EV1.0670.1427.529***0.712
CI1←CI1 0.584
CI2←CI1.4610.255.839***0.811
BI1←BI1 0.624
BI2←BI1.0330.1317.894***0.681
*** p < 0.01.
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Fu, L.; Xiong, C.; Xu, M. Influential Factors Affecting Tea Tourists’ Behavior Intention in Cultural Ecosystem Services: An Affordance Perspective. Sustainability 2023, 15, 15503. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115503

AMA Style

Fu L, Xiong C, Xu M. Influential Factors Affecting Tea Tourists’ Behavior Intention in Cultural Ecosystem Services: An Affordance Perspective. Sustainability. 2023; 15(21):15503. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115503

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fu, Lingbo, Chengyu Xiong, and Min Xu. 2023. "Influential Factors Affecting Tea Tourists’ Behavior Intention in Cultural Ecosystem Services: An Affordance Perspective" Sustainability 15, no. 21: 15503. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115503

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