As research in the field of nature-based tourism (NBT) continues to expand, researchers are increasingly adapting constructs such as attitudes, motivation, and attachment to capture the unique behavior associated with the visitation of natural areas. Unfortunately, the relationships among these constructs are not well understood. In order to facilitate a better understanding of these constructs as they apply to NBT, our research proposes and empirically tests a theoretically-based model of NBT behavior whereby NBT motivation mediates the relationship between environmental attitudes and place attachment. Results of the analyses are presented followed by a discussion of important findings and implications
