From stimuli to hedonic value: predicting visitor satisfaction in national park tourism

National parks attract millions of visitors seeking meaningful and restorative experiences while supporting ecological preservation and human wellbeing. However, research has given limited attention to the ways in which environmental perceptions and internal psychological processes interact to explain visitor satisfaction. The study is grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) model, which explains how external stimuli shape internal psychological states that drive behavioral outcomes. Empirical data were gathered through a visitor survey conducted in two Finnish national parks, Nuuksio and Repovesi, which yielded 488 valid responses analyzed through covariance-based structural equation modeling. The proposed framework links natural value, environmental authenticity, hedonic experience, involvement, and satisfaction to reveal the emotional and cognitive mechanisms underlying visitor experience. The analysis demonstrates that environmental authenticity is a dominant predictor of natural value (β = .65) and hedonic experience (β = .41). The model explains 57% of hedonic experience, 82% of involvement, and 42% of satisfaction, evidencing the central role of perceptual and experiential mechanisms in national park settings. Overall, the findings show that authenticity and natural value jointly shape emotional and behavioral responses, extending the S–O–R model to nature-based tourism and offering practical insights for enhancing satisfaction and sustainable park management.