Exploring the Factors Influencing Tourist Destination Loyalty: A Case Study of Homestay Entrepreneurs in Thailand

Abstract

This research aims to explore the image of the homestay entrepreneurs through service marketing mix, tourist satisfaction, and tourist loyalty toward homestay entrepreneurs and find their tourist destination loyalty model. The data were collected from 440 tourists and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics consisting of confirmatory factor, path, and structural equation modeling. The results showed that the image of the homestays in Samut Sakhon province, service marketing mix, tourist satisfaction, and tourist loyalty toward homestay entrepreneurs in Samut Sakhon province were mostly at high levels. Moreover, confirmatory factors analysis showed that the image of the homestays in Samut Sakhon province has the highest in the “Impression,” the service marketing mix has the highest in “People,” tourist satisfaction has the highest value in “Service quality,” and tourist loyalty toward homestays entrepreneurs has the highest value in the “Repeated use of the service.” Furthermore, it is revealed that the image of the homestays and the service marketing mix have direct and indirect influences on tourist loyalty toward homestay entrepreneurs. With continuous improvement in service quality, affordability, and customer relationship management, homestay entrepreneurs can create positive experiences, enhance value for money, cultivate customer loyalty, and benefit from positive word-of-mouth recommendations, ultimately driving the growth and success of their businesses.