Unlocking Loyalty: The Power of Local Culture in Bali Tourism

Abstract

This article explores how local culture influences tourist loyalty, using a case study from Bali, Indonesia. By employing a quantitative approach, the study applies Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS to analyze survey data from 276 tourists. It examines the direct effects of two key factors—’cultural richness’ and ‘cultural interaction’—on destination loyalty, with ‘tourist satisfaction’ serving as a mediating variable and ‘previous travel experience’ as a moderating variable. The findings reveal that both cultural richness and interaction significantly impact tourist satisfaction, which in turn drives destination loyalty. However, previous travel experience does not moderate the relationship between tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty (β =-0.021). These insights offer valuable guidance for destination managers and policymakers in crafting marketing strategies that emphasize local culture to boost tourist loyalty.