Examining Relationships Among Emotional Experience, Place Identity, and Destination Loyalty

Abstract

Emotions shape tourists' perceptions, experiences, and attachment to a destination, impacting loyalty. However, limited research has delved into the intricate relationships among these constructs. Based on the M-R Framework (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974), the current study proposed and tested a destination loyalty model that examined tourists' emotional experiences and place identity. This study specifically aimed to explore the influences of love, joy, and positive surprise (as emotions experienced by tourists) on place identity and destination loyalty. Data obtained from 164 international tourists were utilized to examine the conceptual model by employing structural equation modeling. The study outcomes showed that joy and love significantly affected place identity and destination loyalty, and place identity significantly influenced destination loyalty. The study findings deliver important theoretical contributions for researchers by explaining the complex relationships among tourists’ emotional experiences of, their sense of place identity, and loyalty toward a destination. From a practical perspective, the study's results entail various implications for destination policymakers and marketers. For example, exploring how tourists respond to their emotional experiences would assist destination marketers in the development of effective marketing strategies (e.g., segmentation and positioning) to foster loyalty among visitors.