Loyalty: theoretical development and its practice in hospitality and tourism

Abstract

This research takes a comprehensive approach to synthetise the theoretical and practical development of the concept of customer loyalty between 1920s and 2000s. The four eras of theoretical development of loyalty concept can be characterised as origination and brand loyalty (1920s-1940s), multidisciplinary exploration (1950s), systematic conceptualisation (1960s) and theoretical advancement (1970s-present). Key theories in each era are discussed. The concept of loyalty is practiced in hospitality and tourism in four major areas: typology, previous experience and repeat visitation, relationship with satisfaction and systematic exploration. Results of this review call for more research on theoretical development on tourist loyalty.