Labor Force Resource Intention to Stay in Tourism: A Dual Mediation Mechanism Involving Training, Innovation, and Development Confidence Based on AMO Theory

Abstract

Tourism is an important driving force for economic development, but it suffers from serious labor resource losses. This study starts from the perspective of human resource sustainability and, based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, constructs an integrated model with personal development confidence and organizational development confidence as dual mediators, and extrinsic motivation and managerial competence as dual moderators. This model was then used to explore the mechanism by which vocational training and innovation impact tourism employee intention to stay. A questionnaire survey method was used to collect 295 valid samples, and hypothesis testing was conducted through confirmatory factor analysis and conditional process analysis (PROCESS Model 7). The results showed three key aspects of this system. (1) Vocational training and innovation both significantly and positively affect the intention to stay. (2) Personal development confidence plays a mediating role between vocational training and intention to stay, and this mediating effect is positively moderated by extrinsic motivation when it is at a level of moderate or high. The mediating effect is significant at the upper level, but not at the lower level. (3) Organizational development confidence plays a mediating role between innovation and intension to stay, and the mediating effect is positively moderated by managerial competence. This mediating effect is significant when managerial competence is at a high level, but not at the medium or low level. The research conclusions verify the validity of the dual mediator model, reveal the key transmission role of confidence between human resource practices and employee retention, and clarify the situational dependence of extrinsic incentives and managerial competence as boundary conditions. The conclusions provide empirical evidence and practical inspiration for tourism enterprises to optimize their training systems, enhance their innovation capabilities, and improve their incentive mechanisms and management levels, thereby stabilizing labor resources and reducing the turnover rate of talent.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2026 · DOI ↗