DETERMINANTS OF DESTINATION LOYALTY AND THE MEDIATING ROLE OF TOURIST SATISFACTION

Within the tourism literature, many researchers recognize destination loyalty to be critical for the sustainable development of tourist destinations during the mature stage of life cycle. This study features a structural model designed to identify the most important determinants of tourist loyalty, with a specific focus on the complex role of tourist satisfaction. Empirical results based on a representative sample of 483 international tourists in Thailand reveal that the satisfaction of tourists fully mediates the effects of push and pull motivations and perceived value for money on destination loyalty, and that it partially mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and destination loyalty. These findings suggest that the success of efforts by destination management organizations to attract return travelers pivots on building tourist satisfaction. Destination managers should also continuously improve and measure tourists' perceptions of service quality at tourism destinations.