How Power Distance Belief Shapes Ecotourism Intention: The Moderating Role of Conspicuous Versus Experiential Content on Social Media in Promoting Sustainable Travel

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 17; no. 17; p. 7645
• Main Authors: He, Hao, Cheng, Jiayi, Zou, Xiang, Xing, Shiqi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2025
• Subjects: Community; Conspicuous consumption; Consumer behavior; Cultural heritage; Decision making; Ecotourism; Egalitarianism; Experiential marketing; Influence; Intention; Market strategy; Marketing; Nature; Power distance; Psychological aspects; Sales promotions; Social aspects; Social media; Social networks; Social responsibility; Sustainable tourism; Technology application; Travel; Travel industry; User generated content; Values; China
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su17177645

As environmental conservation and community development gain importance, ecotourism has emerged as a significant segment of the global tourism industry. However, the cultural factors that drive tourist behavior in this domain remain underexplored. This research examined how power distance belief (PDB), interacts with the type of tourism content shared on social media (conspicuous versus experiential) to influence travelers’ ecotourism intentions. To test our hypotheses, we conducted two experimental studies using a 2 (PDB: high vs. low) × 2 (tourism content type: conspicuous vs. experiential) between-subjects design. Participants for both experiments (N = 480) were recruited through an online survey platform. In the experiments, participants’ PDB was situationally primed, and tourism content type was manipulated using specifically created fictitious posts adapted from a real social media platform. Other key variables were measured using validated multi-item scales. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and moderated mediation analysis (PROCESS Model 15). The findings reveal that travelers with high PDB show higher ecotourism intentions when exposed to conspicuous content, whereas travelers with low PDB exhibit higher intentions when exposed to experiential content. This interactive effect is mediated by travelers’ social comparison motives. These findings offer novel insights into the motivations underlying ecotourism behavior by identifying distinct pathways through which social media can promote sustainable tourism behaviors, and provide practical guidance for eco-destination managers to design targeted marketing strategies that encourage sustainable tourism practices across different consumer segments.