The Effects of Psychological Ownership of Tourism Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) on Tourist Behavioral Outcomes
通过四个情境实验，研究了游客对旅游NFTs的心理所有权如何影响其访问意愿和守护行为，并揭示了心理所有权从NFTs向文化遗产转移的机制。
Digital technology has reshaped the concept of ownership in the digital realm. This study explores non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as innovative offerings from heritage sites, focusing on how psychological ownership of these digital assets influences tourists’ real-world behaviors. Four scenario-based experiments across different cultural heritage contexts demonstrate that psychological ownership of tourism NFTs (high-level vs. low-level) influences tourists’ visit intention and stewardship behavioral intentions. The mechanism involves the transfer of psychological ownership from tourism NFTs (the proximal target) to the original cultural heritage (the distal target), which subsequently leads to increased cultural heritage attachment. Furthermore, these effects are attenuated for individuals with a low construal level. These findings advance current knowledge on psychological ownership and NFT implementations in heritage tourism while providing practical guidance for heritage organizations to leverage NFTs.