A BRAND EXPERIENCES’ CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR VISITORS’ ATTITUDINAL LOYALTY

Abstract

The paper examines the antecedents of visitors’ attitudinal loyalty to a place, introducing the concepts of brand experiences and place identity that have not been conceptualized in the tourism context.The available literature on place identity, brand experiences, satisfaction and loyalty was reviewed, leading to this conceptual model.The paper discusses the use of brand experiences and place identity in the tourism sector in order to further enhance the knowledge of visitors’ loyalty. This is an area, relatively understudied and not fully developedin the tourism sector.Brand experiences and place identity can be significant elements in explaining attitudinal loyalty in the tourism sector. The examination of their role can lead to important implications for marketers of a company or an organization, since it can provide a better understanding of the visitor’s consumer behavior. This paper presents a conceptual model of visitors’ loyalty incorporating place identity, place brand experiences and satisfaction as antecedents of loyalty, further enhancing our knowledge of visitors’ loyalty. To date, no studies in the tourism context have attempted to conceptualize such a model.