Anticipatory nostalgia and pro-environmental tourist behavioral intentions: the role of anxiety, empathy, and linguistic relativity

OpenAlex · English

As climate change threatens many destinations, understanding the drivers of pro-environmental tourist behavior is critical for effective mitigation. This study investigates how anticipatory nostalgia, a longing for the present before it is lost, can shape tourists’ pro-environmental behavioral intentions in the context of Venice. Using a mixed-methods design with AI-generated visual and textual stimuli, we test a moderated mediation model examining the roles of anxiety, empathy, and linguistic relativity. Findings reveal that the effect of anticipatory nostalgia on pro-environmental behavioral intentions is fully and sequentially mediated through anxiety and empathy. This entire mechanism is moderated by language, proving stronger for speakers of a weak future-time reference language (Mandarin) compared to speakers of a strong(er) one (German). Theoretically, the study highlights anticipatory nostalgia as a potential determinant of pro-environmental behavioral intentions in tourism. Practically, it provides recommendations for destination managers to design culturally tailored marketing and communication strategies that can build upon future-oriented tourist emotions to promote environmentally sustainable behavior.