Negotiating Technological Legitimacy in Smart Ecotourism: Ethical Tension and Acceptance Thresholds

Abstract

This study examines how visitors assess the ethical legitimacy of data-driven technologies in smart ecotourism. Moving beyond instrumental acceptance models, the research conceptualizes ethical tension as evaluative ambivalence arising from competing judgments about conservation benefits and autonomy concerns. Survey data (N = 207) were analyzed using cluster segmentation and quadratic regression. The findings reveal a curvilinear relationship: moderate ethical concern supports acceptance when intervention is perceived as proportionate, whereas intensified concern reduces acceptance once a normative threshold is crossed. The results demonstrate that technological legitimacy depends not only on perceived usefulness but also on value-based judgments of ethical appropriateness. The study contributes to value-sensitive tourism research by positioning ethical evaluation as a boundary-setting mechanism preceding acceptance.