Analyzing Tourist Online Environmental Discourse With Big Data: A Study of 43 UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites
Yousaf S and Kim JM. 2025. Analyzing Tourist Online Environmental Discourse With Big Data: A Study of 43 UNESCO Natural World Heritage Sites. International Journal of Tourism Research. 27(4):1-15
ABSTRACT: This study evaluates the impact of tourists' online environmental discourse (OED) on satisfaction with UNESCO Natural World Heritage (NWH) sites, applying norm activation theory and theories of reasoned action and planned behavior. It addresses sustainability concerns of NWH sites impacted by tourism, analyzing 130,264 TripAdvisor. com reviews covering 43 NWH sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The findings show that environmental content in reviews relates to higher ratings, indicating a positive influence of OED on tourists' satisfaction with NWH sites. This study makes significant contributions to the emerging research on NWH sites and scholarly discourse on sustainable tourist behaviors. The implications of these findings are pivotal for shaping effective management strategies for NWH sites.