From Tourist Experience to Satisfaction and Loyalty: Exploring the Role of a Sense of Well-Being

Abstract

Drawing on the authentic happiness theory, the aims of this article are three-fold: first, to propose a refined measurement scale for tourists’ sense of well-being; second, to investigate the impact of four categories of tourist experience on tourists’ sense of well-being; and third, to explore the effect of the sense of well-being on tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty. Data were collected from tourists spending their holidays in the Algarve, Portugal. To address the lack of an integrated measurement scale for assessing tourists’ sense of well-being, an exploratory factor analysis was initially conducted. Subsequently, the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in WarpPLS 8.0. The findings reveal a three-dimensional scale for tourists’ sense of well-being, consisting of meaningfulness, active pleasure, and release. The results also show a significant positive impact of the four realms of tourists’ experiences on the sense of well-being. Finally, positive relationships between well-being, tourist satisfaction and loyalty are confirmed. The theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and potential directions for future research are discussed.