Beyond Satisfaction: Symbolic, Functional, and Evaluative Routes to Destination Loyalty Intention

Information from the abstract

Although tourist satisfaction is widely regarded as a central correlate of destination loyalty, loyalty intentions may also reflect symbolic destination meaning and functional service conditions. This study examines the relationships among destination image, the service marketing mix, attribute-level tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty intention among 231 Thai domestic tourists who had previously visited Pai, Thailand. Drawing on a multi-route perspective, the study theoretically organizes destination image as a symbolic route, the service marketing mix as a functional route, and satisfaction as an evaluative route to loyalty intention. The term “routes” distinguishes these conceptual foundations and does not imply that the cross-sectional analysis establishes separate temporal or causal mechanisms. Online survey data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Destination image was positively associated with satisfaction and loyalty intention, whereas the service marketing mix was positively associated with loyalty intention but not satisfaction. Satisfaction was also positively associated with loyalty intention. Bootstrapping indicated a small positive indirect association between destination image and loyalty intention through satisfaction, while the corresponding indirect association involving the service marketing mix was not supported. The model explained 7.6% of the variance in satisfaction and 42.0% of the variance in loyalty intention, with stronger out-of-sample predictive relevance for loyalty intention. The findings provide partial support for the proposed multi-route framework by showing that symbolic meaning, functional service conditions, and satisfaction exhibit differentiated associations with destination loyalty intention. Destination managers should therefore preserve Pai’s distinctive image while improving the accessibility, affordability, communication, and delivery of its tourism services.

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Related topics: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Customer Service Quality and Loyalty · Culinary Culture and Tourism