Linking the Relationships Between Perceived Value and Destination Loyalty in Langkawi Island: Mediating Role of Place Attachment and Tourist Satisfaction

Abstract

The Jewel Island in Malaysia, Langkawi, is facing an unstable and declining pattern among domestic visitors. This issue arises due to the visitors not being loyal to this island. The main objective of this study was to propose a conceptual model consisting of two parallel mediators of place attachment and tourist satisfaction on the relationship between perceived value and destination loyalty. However, the present study was a preliminary study (pilot study) whereby the data were collected using a questionnaire instrument. Domestic visitors were recruited as the respondents. The questionnaire was verified in a pre-testing stage. Subsequently, the pilot survey was conducted among the domestic visitors travelling to this island within 6 months. As a preliminary study, the findings indicated that the measuring items used in this study were highly consistent to measure the intended construct since Cronbach’s Alpha was more than 0.9. Hence, the measuring items can be used in the actual study to prove the new proposed model that consists of parallel mediators, namely, place attachment and tourist satisfaction on their relationship with perceived value and destination loyalty.