The Influence of Tourists’ Experience on Destination Loyalty: A Case Study of Hue City, Vietnam

Vo Viet Hung,Sandeep Kumar Dey,Zuzana Vaculcikova,Le Trieu Hoang Anh

doi:10.3390/su13168889

Vo Viet Hung, Sandeep Kumar Dey + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168889

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Aug 9, 2021
Citations: 14	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Hue University, Tomas Bata University in Zlín

Abstract

This research focuses on the impact of the tourist experience on the relationship among destination image, tourist motivation, and tourist satisfaction on destination loyalty by examining the theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal relationship between constructs. A research model was proposed, in which nine hypotheses were developed, and the empirical data were collected from Hue city, which is a major tourist destination in Vietnam. A total of 204 questionnaires were returned, and the data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The moderating effect of the tourist experience on the impact of the destination image, tourist motivation, and tourist satisfaction on destination loyalty is analyzed in this article. The proposed conceptual model was tested, and the results reveal a significant relationship between the two constructs to destination loyalty (destination image and tourist satisfaction). Furthermore, the findings support the proposed destination loyalty model: destination image, tourist satisfaction directly influenced destination loyalty, and tourist experience play an important role as a moderator in the relationship between tourist motivation and tourist loyalty.

Highlights

IntroductionTourism has grown further and has become a dominant industry globally, which significantly affects a country’s economy
Tourist loyalty has closely correlated with tourist satisfaction, tourist motivation, and tourist experience as a basic principle of marketing [6,7,8]
The theoretical model was analyzed through partial least square methodology drawn from structural equation modeling via the SMART-PLS software

Summary

Introduction

Tourism has grown further and has become a dominant industry globally, which significantly affects a country’s economy. It is affiliated with many other fields, such as advertising, endorsements, product placements, sponsorships, and business organizations [1]. Knowing what tourists’ loyalty depends on and how it is shaped has become a maxim to managers of tourist companies and destinations. Loyalty is the best indicator of potential actions, competitive advantage, and business performance [2,3,4,5]. Tourist loyalty has closely correlated with tourist satisfaction, tourist motivation, and tourist experience as a basic principle of marketing [6,7,8]

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Results

Conclusion