Analysis of the Mediating Role of Place Attachment in the Link between Tourists’ Authentic Experiences of, Involvement in, and Loyalty to Rural Tourism

Ge Wang, Liman Huang, Changliang Xu, Kai He, Kang Shen () and Peiyu Liang ()
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Ge Wang: School of Architecture & Applied Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou 511400, China
Liman Huang: School of Tourism Management, South China Normal University, Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou 510006, China
Changliang Xu: Guangzhou Overseas Chinese Foreign Language School, Guangzhou 510095, China
Kai He: School of Architecture & Applied Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou 511400, China
Kang Shen: School of Architecture & Applied Arts, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou 511400, China
Peiyu Liang: Institute for Science, Technology and Society, South China Normal University, Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou 510006, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: The sustainable development of rural tourism is conducive to awakening “sleeping” resources, upgrading the industrial structure in rural areas, enhancing the revitalization ability of rural areas, accelerating the construction of cultural tourism, and promoting the strategy of rural revitalization. The loyalty of tourists has been considered as an important construct to describe the relationship between rural tourism growth and travelers’ future behavioral intentions. This study aims to integrate the relationship between authentic experience, involvement, place attachment, and loyalty into rural tourism research. The results of the study showed that tourists’ authentic experience and tourism participation have a significantly positive effect on place identity and place dependence (two different dimensions of place attachment), and authentic experience significantly positively affects involvement. Place identity and place dependence greatly and positively affect tourist loyalty. Furthermore, place dependence and place identity play a comprehensive mediating role in the relationship between authentic experience, involvement, and loyalty. The research findings provide a theoretical foundation and a point of reference for rural destinations in developing additional strategies and initiatives.

Keywords: rural tourism; authentic experience; involvement; place attachment; loyalty (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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