Stimulating tourists' senses for sustainable destination development: Combining embodied cognition theory and the S-O-R model.

This article investigates how tourists' sensory perceptions of natural environments influence their environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) through the mediating roles of memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) and environmental awareness. Using a combined theoretical framework of embodied cognition theory and the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, the study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on data collected from tourists at Zhagana National Geopark in China. Findings indicate that visual, tactile, and olfactory perceptions significantly affect MTEs and environmental awareness, which in turn promote ERB, while auditory perception alone shows no direct effect but contributes in combination with other senses. The study highlights that no single sensory input suffices to drive high ERB; rather, multisensory configurations alongside psychological factors are essential, offering practical insights for destination management to foster sustainable tourism through integrated sensory experiences.