Abstract

Community-based tourism (CBT) destinations create sustainability value that tourists may not fully observe during short visits. This study examines how perceived sustainability communication is associated with tourist support. Its originality lies in showing that sustainability communication in CBT is not directly associated with destination image or behavioral intention but appears to operate through destination personality as a symbolic interpretation mechanism before destination evaluation. Drawing on signaling theory and the stimulus–organism–response framework, perceived sustainability communication is conceptualized as a sustainability signal, destination personality as symbolic interpretation, destination image as cognitive–affective evaluation, and behavioral intention as tourist support. Data from 390 domestic tourists visiting six CBT destinations in Surat Thani Province, Thailand, were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The results show that perceived sustainability communication was associated with destination personality, which was subsequently associated with destination image and behavioral intention. Destination image was also associated with behavioral intention, while the direct associations with destination image and behavioral intention were not significant. Destination personality and destination image sequentially mediated the relationship. IPMA identified destination personality as the primary managerial priority, followed by destination image. The findings suggest that sustainability messages become behaviorally meaningful through symbolic interpretation and destination evaluation.

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