Objectives Based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA), this research takes the Luofu Mountain National Key Scenic Area as a case study to explore the impact of agricultural product value perception on tourists' health and wellness tourism behavioral intentions. It aims to provide theoretical support and practical references for effectively stimulating the behavioral intentions of wellness tourists and promoting the transformation and development of agricultural product resource-rich areas into health and wellness tourism destinations.

Methods Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression were applied to empirically examine the relationships among agricultural product value perception, tourists' overall attitudes, and health and wellness tourism behavioral intentions. The study also analyzed whether significant differences exist in overall attitudes and behavioral intentions among tourists of different age groups.

Results Agricultural product value perception showed a significant positive impact on tourists' health and wellness tourism behavioral intention (β=0.363, P<0.001), with experiential value perception playing the most prominent role (β=0.177, P<0.001). The overall attitude exhibited a significant positive mediating effect in the pathways through which cultural value (β=0.044, P<0.001), functional value (β=0.053, P<0.001), and experiential value (β=0.150, P<0.001) influence health and wellness tourism behavioral intention. The impact of value perception varied among tourists of different ages: the influence of functional value strengthened with age; cultural value primarily affected young and middle-aged groups; emotional value exhibited a noticeable impact on the elderly group; while experiential value and overall attitude positively influenced health and wellness tourism behavioral intention across all age groups.

Conclusions Tourists showed a high preference for on-site experiential activities based on agricultural products. It has been necessary to construct a health and wellness tourism project system centered on experiential value, develop diversified agricultural product resources that integrate regional culture and cater to the needs of all age groups, enhance tourists' rational cognition of the multi-dimensional value of agricultural products, foster positive overall attitudes, and thereby promote the formation of their health and wellness tourism behavioral intentions.