DESTINATION CHARACTERISTICS, TOURIST SATISFACTION, AND REVISIT INTENTION IN SPORT TOURISM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7si4.1572Keywords:
sport tourism, destination characteristics, tourist satisfaction, revisit intention, island destinationsAbstract
This research study investigates the role of destination characteristics in shaping sports tourists’ revisit intention, with tourist satisfaction examined as a mediating mechanism in island sport tourism. Integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Leiper’s Tourist Attraction System (TAS), the study develops a destination-centred framework to explain sports tourism behaviour beyond event-focused perspectives. Data were collected through a survey of 302 sports tourists who attended sporting events in Langkawi, Malaysia, from 2020 to 2023. The hypothesised relationships were tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results of the study demonstrate that destination characteristics significantly enhance tourist satisfaction, which subsequently influences revisit intention (β = 0.424, p < 0.05). This research study findings emphasise the importance of destination attributes in creating positive tourism experiences and identify satisfaction as a critical behavioural pathway linking destination quality to tourists’ future behavioural intentions in island sport tourism contexts.
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