Authors: Sofia Chatzi, Eirini Peitzika, Ioannis Telliadis

Title: Exploring the linkage between destination image, place attachment and tourists’ destination loyalty: The mediating role of satisfaction

Abstract

A wide range of studies have focused on the factors causing tourists to return to the same destinations. This line of research has essentially been conducted from a transactional marketing perspective. Image, quality, and value have been among the most frequently studied predictors of destination loyalty, while models using relationship variables simultaneously such as place attachment have rarely been proposed resulting in a partial understanding of loyalty. Thus, this study explores the relationships between both place attachment and destination image with tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty, as well as the mediating effect of satisfaction. International and domestic tourists that have visited the island of Skiathos, Greece at least once, were chosen as the target population. A total of 423 questionnaires were returned and the structural equation modeling approach and bootstrapping technique were used to empirically test the study hypotheses. The findings indicate that destination image and place attachment significantly affect satisfaction. Furthermore, satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between both variables and destination loyalty. The study results reveal that the transactional perspective needs to be enriched with relationship variables such as attachment. Marketing efforts to improve a destination’s image constitute a fragmented strategy if relationship variables are not included, as these are clearly important to tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty to the destination too.