Sense of Place and Pro-Environmental Behavior: A Case Study of Local People and Tourists in Cheshme Belgheis Garden of Choram

Abstract

Sense of place is a factor that transforms the space into a place with special behavioral and emotional characteristics for people. This sense can lead to pro-environmental behavior. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to assess the sense of place of local people and tourists in Cheshme Belgheis Garden of Choram and its relation to their pro-environmental behaviors. The research population of the study consisted of local people who were located at least 20 km from the garden and tourists who visited the Cheshme Belgheis Garden of Choram. The sample of the study included 96 local people and 96 tourists who visited the garden during the period of the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability was obtained by performing a single study and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated for all seven different sense levels (0.80 to 0.90 ), indicating the desired reliability of the questionnaire. The results showed that both local people (3.93) and tourists (3.61) are at a desirable level in terms of sense of place and pro-environmental behavior. The results of comparing the means between the two groups of tourists and hosts also indicated that there is a significant difference between the two groups in terms of place sense. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in pro-environmental behavior. The results showed that there was no correlation between pro-environmental behavior and the sense of place of the two target groups. Finally considering the results of the study, some suggestions have been provided to improve the condition of the garden.

Keywords

• cheshme belghei
• choram county
• pro-environmental behavior
• sense of place
• natural tourist