Tourists’ perceptions of the sustainability of destination, satisfaction, and revisit intention

Abstract

This study examines the impact of tourists' perceptions of a destination's sustainability on their satisfaction and revisit intention. Specifically, perceived sustainability of a destination is measured employing five indicators of sustainability dimensions: economic, environmental, socio-cultural, political, and technology. Furthermore, this study analyses the mediating role of satisfaction between perceived destination sustainability and revisit intention. The investigation collected 362 completed questionnaires from local and international tourists who visited Kuala Lumpur. The proposed model was tested, and the data analysed using partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results of the PLS-SEM indicated that socio-cultural and technological sustainability, directly and indirectly, impacts tourists' satisfaction and revisit intention. However, the other three dimensions, i.e. economic, environmental, and political, had insignificant effects on satisfaction and revisit intention, thus prompting further examination. Overall, this study expands upon extant knowledge by attempting to theoretically explain these effects using a cognitive–affective-conative model and explicates the mediating role of overall satisfaction on revisit intention. The results provide practical implications for destination management organisations, tourism managers, planners, and policymakers to develop more effective strategies and improve the quality of tourism services.