Parallel Mediators of Place Attachment and Tourist Motivation in Involvement and Destination Loyalty: A Conceptual Model

Abstract

The study’s primary objective is to propose and validate a conceptual model that examines the relationship between involvement, place attachment, tourist motivation, and destination loyalty. This study focuses on the tourists from China, and self-administered questionnaires will be distributed among international tourists at the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The respondents will be chosen using purposive sampling and a simple random sampling method. The interrelationships among multiple variables in the research model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling. The roles of parallel mediators will be examined simultaneously using the Phantom Model approach. This study reveals the positive impacts of involvement on place attachment, tourist motivation, and destination loyalty. The study identifies and compare the size of the effects of the two parallel mediators: place attachment and tourist motivation using the phantom approach model. The study suggested a new conceptual framework to scholars and practitioners to better understand the concept of involvement, tourist motivation, and place attachment to enhance Chinese tourists’ loyalty to Malaysia’s tourism destination.