Implications of destination marketing from the perspective of the perceived value of foreign tourists

Abstract

Perceived value is a multidimensional construct that optimizes tourists’ stay in different destinations. This study analyzes the marketing of coastal and marine destinations from the perspective of foreign tourists. This research aimed to to a) establish the factors that influence foreign tourists’ perception of value, b) determine the factors of perceived value that predominate in a foreign tourist’s satisfaction, and (c) identify the factors of value perception that anticipate a foreign tourist’s loyalty in terms of variables such as saying positive things, recommendation, and return. This investigation was conducted in Jacó, a sustainable coastal destination located in Costa Rica. The samples were collected in situ from 257 valid questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed to analyze the data. The results showed three dimensions regarding perceived value in coastal and marine destinations in the demand of foreign tourists: functional, emotional, social, and economic. The main factor predicting overall satisfaction is functional and emotional value. Also. the functional and emotional value is the most important predictor of loyalty in variables such as return, recommendation and saying positive things about the destination. The findings will provide sustainable management guidelines for coastal tourism destination managers and make a valuable contribution to academic literature.