An examination of motivation, satisfaction, attachment, and loyalty using structural equation modeling

Abstract

A seasonal rail pass for youth travelers, Rail-ro has become a cultural travel phenomenon among young Korean. Considering the significant influence of Rail-ro passes on domestic tourism, the travel behaviors of Rail-ers who take train trips with Rail-ro passes deserve attention. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among Rail-ers’ motivation, satisfaction, loyalty, and their attachment to the country using the structural equation modeling (SEM). An online survey was conducted via By Train, the online community for rail travelers, with 218 Korean travelers who had traveled with a Rail-ro pass. According to the findings, a modified theoretical model was found acceptable and the results provided support for proposed hypotheses: (a) the motivation of ‘experience Korea and feel Koreanness’ significantly influenced satisfaction; (b) satisfaction was found to be an important antecedent of loyalty to Rail-ro; (c) satisfaction with the Rail-ro experience was a predictor of attachment to the country; and (d) loyalty to domestic tourism was influenced by place dependence while the influence of place identity was not found to be significant. Based on the model tested in this study, theoretical and practical implications are discussed for sustainable and successful operation of Rail-ro.