Does Historical Nostalgia Predict Tourists' Delight And Their Destination Loyalty Intention for the World Cultural Heritage Site of Mahabalipuram, India?

Abstract

Delighting consumers has been one of the most important goals for marketing stakeholders but the effect of historical nostalgia on tourists' delight at the world cultural heritage sites has rarely been examined. This study examines the impact of historical nostalgia on the heritage tourists' delight, their satisfaction, and destination loyalty intention. The survey for the study was conducted at the world cultural heritage site of Mahabalipuram, India. The hypotheses were tested through the structural equation modeling technique. The results indicated positive and significant effect of historical nostalgia on tourists' delight, satisfaction, and destination loyalty intention. The study makes contribution to the tourism studies by examining the role of historical nostalgia in delighting the tourists at the cultural heritage sites and instructs the managers to evoke such experiences to keep the heritage tourists delighted and thereby enhance their loyalty.