DEVELOPING DESTINATION LOYALTY: THE CASE OF HAINAN ISLAND

The purpose of this study was to develop an integrated model to examine the antecedents to Chinese domestic tourists’ destination loyalty. Chinese tourists are rapidly gaining attention from both researchers and practitioners, mainly due to their enormous economic implications; however, this is still a largely understudied group in tourism and hospitality literature. Data were collected from tourists to Hainan Island, China and analyzed utilizing a structural equation modeling approach. Findings of this study revealed that destination familiarity, destination image, perceived value, and tourist satisfaction all influenced Chinese domestic tourists’ destination loyalty. Implications for Hainan tourism marketers and managers were discussed.