The Research Of Influential Factors Of Tourists Destination Loyalty

The escalation of competition resulting from more construction of scenic spots due to the proliferation of tourism industry has made tourist loyalty a crucial issue for both destination management and marketers. Nowadays, attention has primarily been given to loyalties in the scopes of physical products and other service sections, destination loyalty is virtually neglected. This dissertation, based on a survey at both natural and cultural attractions, identified influential factors of destination loyalty and clarified the relationships between these factors by using Structural Equation Model(SEM) technique. Main conclusions include:Firstly, From the temporal perspective, destination loyalty is redefined into short-term, mid-term, long-term behavioral loyalties and attitudinal loyalty. Empirical study reveals that attitudinal loyalty is prerequisite for behavioral loyalty and loyalties at near periods are antecedents for loyalties at far end.The relationship between satisfaction and loyalty could be strong, indirect or weak, the reason for it found in this research is that both satisfaction and loyalty could be destructured in time perspective and satisfaction can only directly influence loyalt at immediate period.Secondly, the study identified motivation, destination image, perceived value,and satisfaction as influential factors for forming tourist destination loyalty. Novelty significantly affects perceived value, while familiarity positively influences short-term, mid-term behavioral loyalties and attitudinal loyalty. The role destination image plays in tourist behavior is that accessibility affects attitudinal loyalty and affective image has significant effects on satisfaction, short-term and mid-term behavioral loyalties and attitudinal loyalty. Perceived value proves a important influential factor for satisfaction but not a sigficant one for loyalty. An unusual finding is the part satisfaction plays, which has frequently been acknowaged as the proximal factor for loyaty, while in this research, it has been found that satisfaction only positively influences the short-term loyalty and attitudinal loyalty, its effects on mid-term and long-term loyalty are very limited. Another intresting result is that situational factors such as time moderates the effect of motivation on loyalty, indicating when time is limited, tourists revisit intention towards familiar destinations dramatically increase.Thirdly, the influences of those factors declines with the passage of time. namely, those factors show largest effects on short-term loyalty, and their influences on mid-term and long-term loyalties gradually decrease. Meanwhile, their effects on loyalty at different stages would reduce from strong and direct one to a combination of both direct and indirect one and finally to a only weak and indirect one. The role of attitudinal loyalty in behavioral lyalty basically follows the same pattern. On the other hand, the effects of short-term loyalty on mid-term, and that of mid-term on long-term loyalty increase as time goes by.Lastly, the dissertation also finds that motivation, destination image, perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty significantly differs to some degree when tourists sex, age, income, education and travelling experiences are different. Such differences still exists when they comes from different origins and visit natural and cultrural destinations.