INVESTIGATING SPIRITUAL TOURISM EXPERIENCE QUALITY, DESTINATION IMAGE, AND LOYALTY: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED SACREDNESS AND SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to ascertain the links between experience quality, destination image, subjective well-being, and perceived holiness, and their effects on Indonesian spiritual tourists’ loyalty.Design – This study was designed as descriptive and explanatory research to explain the relationship between the observed variables within the proposed model. Methodology – PLS analysis was used to analyze the data collected from 277 respondents. Findings – This study revealed that the most important indicators of tourist loyalty are the destination image and perceived sacredness. While experience quality does not have a direct influence on tourist loyalty, this study demonstrates that it does have a direct effect on subjective well-being. Destination image was also found to have a direct influence on subjective wellbeing and perceived sacredness. Furthermore, this study discovered that perceived sacredness has a considerable mediating influence on the effect of destination image on tourist loyalty. Originality of the research – This study develops a conceptual model to predict tourists’ loyalty in the context of spiritual tourism in Indonesia by combining the constructs of experience quality, destination image, subjective well-being, and perceived sacredness. Additionally, this study demonstrates the theoretical importance of perceived sacredness in mediating the influence of experience quality on tourists’ loyalty.