THE ELEMENTS OF TOURIST SATISFACTION AND LOYALTY WITH CULTURAL/HERITAGE SITES: EVIDENCE FROM AYUTTHAYA

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the factors of tourists’ motivation, expectations, and satisfaction by establishing a theoretical model to quantify their joint impact on the tourists’ loyalty. Collecting data from 400 participants of Chinese tourists who visited ‘Ayutthaya Province’ of Thailand, this research by employing both Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and descriptive Analysis, finds that the elements of tourists’ expectations (e.g., accessibility, historic buildings) and motivation (e.g., to visit historical place/culture, religious places, income) have a significant positive impact on their overall level of satisfaction. Further analysis indicates that higher satisfaction leads to higher tourists’ loyalty to the destination. This research contributed to the literature on heritage marketing by keeping in view the cultural differences and analyzing various factors that can influence Chinese tourists’ perception of visiting cultural-oriented destinations. The research setting of this study allows us to better understand Chinese tourists' views on Thai heritage culture experiences, value creation, image building, behavioural intentions, and their overall level of satisfaction. The government of Thailand can develop important policies amid boosting heritage/cultural-oriented tourism to ensure its sustainability and economic performance of the sector. Implications for management and directions for future research are provided.

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