The Emotional Foundations of Value Co-Creation in Sustainable Cultural Heritage Tourism: Insights into the Motivation–Experience–Behavior Framework

A key insight from this research is that emotional engagement significantly drives value co-creation behavior among tourists, particularly in sustainable cultural heritage tourism. The study reveals that self-enhancement motivation enhances aesthetic, nostalgic, and flow experiences, while escapism mainly promotes nostalgic and flow experiences, and social interaction primarily affects aesthetic experience. This was determined through an analysis of 470 valid responses from visitors to the UNESCO-listed Suzhou Classical Gardens in China using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings underscore the importance of emotional experiences in fostering sustainable tourism practices that balance visitor satisfaction with the long-term vitality of cultural heritage sites and local communities. This research advances the motivation–experience–behavior framework, providing practical implications for designing strategies that support broader sustainable development goals.

Zhou, L., Liu, X., & Wei, W. (2025). The Emotional Foundations of Value Co-Creation in Sustainable Cultural Heritage Tourism: Insights into the Motivation–Experience–Behavior Framework. Sustainability, 17(15), 6961. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17156961