Brand Attachment, Tour Leader Attachment, and Behavioral Intentions of Tourists

Abstract

The brand of a travel agency and the tour leader play critical roles in travel decision making. Attachment theory has recently been extended to the domain of travel behavior. However, little academic attention has been paid to travel agency brand and tour leader attachment. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of brand attachment and tour leader attachment on tourists’ behavioral intentions and to clarify the roles of perceived value and customer trust. The results indicate that brand attachment has an indirect effect on behavioral intentions through perceived value. Tour leader attachment also has both direct and indirect positive influences on tourists’ behavioral intentions. Finally, the influences of brand attachment and tour leader attachment on perceived value are stronger among customers with a high level of trust than among those with a low level of trust. The implications of these findings and future research are subsequently discussed.