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Abstract
Last chance tourism (LCT) is a rising phenomenon in the travel and tourism industry. LCT arises from tourists’ explicitly seeking to visit and experience aspects of a destination before change or loss occurs, typically concerning vulnerable ecosystems and species. Understanding the mechanisms behind individuals' pro-sustainable travel behavior is vital to minimize negative impacts to the environment and to communities that support and depend on the industry. In this study, we sought to determine the psychological determinants of pro-environmental behaviors in potential visitors of LCT destinations using the value-belief-norm model. Data was sourced from a national panel survey (N=657) distributed through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling techniques. Results indicate that personal norms account for a significant amount of variance in tourists’ intention to engage in environmentally-sustainable travel behavior. Three dimensions of pro-environmental behavioral intent were found to influence individuals’ intention to engage in LCT.