The Mediating Role of Place Attachment in the Relationship Between Authenticity and Loyalty in Traditional Villages

Abstract

Rural tourism has emerged as a viable means for sustaining the development of traditional villages, but the success of rural tourism hinges on the authenticity of traditional village cultural landscapes (TVCLs) and the loyalty of visitors. As a result, preserving traditional village cultural heritage has become imperative as its unique landscapes face the threat of disappearing. However, methods for analysing the effect of destination authenticity on tourist loyalty are few. Place attachment (PA) is a key factor that can connect human emotions with places, but previous studies have rarely examined the mediating role of PA in the relationship between the perceived authenticity and loyalty of tourists. This study aimed to explore the link between the authenticity of TVCLs and the PA and the loyalty of tourists by adopting a simple random sampling method and conducting a questionnaire survey on 105 tourists at Gan Yantou Village, Yongzhou city. This study used SPSS statistics for the exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis and SmartPLS for hypothesis testing in order to explore the relationship between the authenticity of the TVCL and the loyalty of the tourists. The findings underscored the significant impact of the existential authenticity (EA) of the TVCL on the PA and the conative loyalty (CL) of the tourists. Moreover, PA was found to be a partial mediator in the relationship between the EA of the TVCL and the CL of the tourists. This study illuminates the pivotal role of the EA of TVCLs and the influence of PA, thereby highlighting their collective contribution to rural tourism promotion.