The influence of destination image on tourist loyalty and intention to visit: Testing a multiple mediation approach

Abstract

Pakistan holds an important geographical status, but extremism and sabotage have severely damaged the tourism industry. In the present study, we examined the impact of destination image (DI) on tourist loyalty (TL) and intension to visit (IV) in Pakistan. Additionally, the study analyzed the mediation effects of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and tourist satisfaction (TS) on these relationships. Data was collected from 780 tourists in Pakistan. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to obtain the results. Our results demonstrated the positive relationships among DI, eWOM, TS, TL, and IV. This study also disclosed that eWOM has a partial mediation effect on the DI-TL relationship, and both eWOM and TS fully mediate the association between DI and IV. Hence, tourist satisfaction can be enhanced by eWOM and destination image, which directly effect tourist loyalty and intention to visit in Pakistan. The proposed framework and research findings will help stakeholders significantly to recognize the multi-facet association in the tourism industry of Pakistan. Testing the above relationships through multiple mediators is a relatively novel idea.