DETERMINANTS OF LOYALTY IN CULTURAL DESTINATIONS: EVIDENCE FROM PETRA, JORDAN

It is commonly understood within the tourism industry that the longer term success of a destination depends on visitor loyalty. While there have been extensive scholarly investigations of destination loyalty, there has been minimal empirical examination of the most critical determinants of loyalty within a single integrated model, particularly in the context of cultural destinations. To bridge this gap, this study investigates the direct influence of five factors on destination loyalty; destination image, destination awareness, perceived risks, perceived quality, and perceived value. The authors also provide new evidence about these relationships, with a focus on Petra one of the world’s most popular cultural-oriented destinations. Using a purposive sampling method, a total of 708 surveys were collected from international tourists who visited Petra between April and June 2019. It was found that all antecedents apart from perceived risks, had a positive impact on destination loyalty. Apart from extending knowledge about destination loyalty, this study provides key implications for practitioners and proposes a future research agenda.