Visitors' depreciative behavior is a problematic issue for tourist management. Management authorities often attempted to prevent these unwelcome behaviors by creating information signs. However, are these signs effective? What types of information content and color usage produce better effects? These questions have yet to be critically examined. In this study, visitors not following paved paths and treading over vegetation are recorded in five experimental settings: one control setting with no signs and four other scenarios each with different texts and colors – all with hidden cameras monitoring results. The results suggest that information signs significantly reduce visitor depreciative behavior to vegetation, and punitive warning signs are more effective than positive educational signs. In addition, "cold" signs with blue backgrounds achieved better results than "warm" signs with red backgrounds. The study also revealed that when one does not obey the signs, others will follow; younger people were more likely to commit deviant depreciative behavior.

Management implications

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  Information signs effectively reduce visitor vandalism

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  Punitive warning signs produce a more favorable outcome than positive educational signs.

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  “Cold” signs with blue backgrounds achieved better results than “warm” signs with red backgrounds.

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  When one does not obey information signs, others will follow.

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  Younger people show the most deviant vandalism behavior.

中文翻译：

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信息标志在阻止游客破坏行为方面的有效性

游客的贬值行为是旅游管理中的一个难题。管理当局经常试图通过创建信息标志来防止这些不受欢迎的行为。然而，这些迹象有效吗？什么样的信息内容和色彩运用能产生更好的效果？这些问题还有待严格审查。在这项研究中，在五种实验设置中记录了不遵循铺砌路径和踩踏植被的游客：一种没有标志的控制设置和其他四种场景，每种场景都有不同的文本和颜色 - 所有这些都带有隐藏摄像机监控结果。结果表明，信息标志显着减少了游客对植被的贬低行为，并且惩罚性警告标志比积极的教育标志更有效。此外，蓝色背景的“冷”标志比红色背景的“暖”标志取得了更好的效果。研究还表明，当一个人不遵守这些迹象时，其他人就会效仿；年轻人更有可能做出不正常的贬低行为。

管理影响

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  信息标志有效减少游客的破坏行为

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  惩罚性警告信号比积极的教育信号产生更有利的结果。

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  蓝色背景的“冷”标志比红色背景的“暖”标志取得更好的效果。

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  当一个人不遵守信息标志时，其他人就会效仿。

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  年轻人表现出最异常的破坏行为。