This study delves into the pressing issue of promoting sustainable tourist behavior in vulnerable heritage villages that are under threat from mass tourism. By employing the Theory of Planned Behavior, we conducted a survey of 406 domestic tourists in Abyaneh, Iran, to evaluate the influence of attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms on environmentally responsible intentions. What sets our research apart is the innovative approach we took, exploring the moderating role of environmental interpretation on the link between intentions and actual behaviors. This is a novel perspective that has not been previously explored in the context of heritage tourism. To further enhance our findings, we used structural equation modeling to dissect the intricate relationships between variables. Our analysis uncovers that the inclusion of environmental interpretation significantly bolstered the intention-behavior relationship (beta = 0.124, p < .000). Attitudes, norms, and perceived control collectively accounted for 73% of the variance in intentions, with subjective norms exerting the most significant influence (beta = 0.812, p < .000). In a surprising turn, perceived behavioral control did not directly impact actual responsible environmental behavior. These findings underscore the crucial role of interpretation in inspiring and empowering tourists to align their actions with sustainability goals in heritage settings. Moreover, the selected explanatory variables demonstrate substantial predictive power over responsible environmental behavior in diverse contexts. Lastly, we have crafted evidence-based recommendations for sustainable destination management and devised targeted educational strategies that bridge the intention-behavior gap and cultivate a culture of responsible tourism.