LGBT Tourism in South Africa: the influence of customer value on behavioural intention

Abstract

ABSTRACT The potential economic contributions of the LGBT tourism market have received the attention of scholars, destination marketing practitioners and tourism businesses, highlighting the LGBT society as a lucrative market, while also signifying the distinctive needs of the LGBT community. This study investigates the impact of customer value on behavioural intentions in the LGBT tourism sector. Data was collected from 406 LGBT tourists using a self-administered electronic questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. Results indicate that two out of five identified dimensions of customer value (functional value and emotional value) significantly impact customer value. Furthermore, customer value has a positive and significant impact on word of mouth. The results provide an understanding of important dimensions of creating customer value for LGBT tourism destinations. Managerial implications for LGBT tourism destinations are drawn from the research findings, and suggestions for future research are presented.