Factors affecting tourist interference behaviors toward giant pandas in Wolong National Nature Reserve

The giant panda or Ailuropoda melanoleuca is a national treasure and cultural symbol of China, is well-loved for its gentle appearance, and has a vital role in global wildlife conservation. The giant panda tourism draws visitors to panda nature reserves, making substantial economic and social contributions to China. However, tourists’ interference negatively impacts the habitat and behaviors of giant pandas, which is evident and harmful to protection efforts, especially in natural reserves. Therefore, it is an urgent problem to stop or decrease tourists’ interference by promoting sustainable development of giant panda tourism. Most studies focused on the behavioral changes of giant pandas under the influence of tourists’ activities and rarely pay attention to the psychological activities of tourists. There exists a gap in the current body of knowledge regarding the factors influencing tourists’ interference behaviors in giant panda tourism. Thus, the study pays attention to the psychological activities of tourists, seeking the significant factors predicting tourists’ interference behaviors in giant panda tourism, so that a meaningful gap can be bridged on this topic. A total of 386 questionnaires were distributed to tourists visiting giant pandas in Wolong National Nature Reserve using purposive sampling. A number of factors were identified and found to influenced tourists’ interference behaviors, including attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, and tourists’ interference intention. Besides that, tourists’ interference intentions were also confirmed to play partial mediation on the relationships between perceived behavioral control and tourists’ interference behaviors. In general, the utilization of the theory of planned behavior has successfully explain the factors influencing the tourists’ interference behaviors on giant pandas tourism. The findings of this study could be used as a model of reference for China’s government in assessing tourists’ interference behaviors toward giant panda tourism and support for sustainable development of giant panda tourism. The outcomes of the study may also be used in the formulation of appropriate planning and development strategies for giant panda tourism in China.