Examining Factors Influencing Tourist Loyalty To Rural Festival In China: The Mediating Effects Of Emotion And Satisfaction

Limin, Mo (2025) Examining Factors Influencing Tourist Loyalty To Rural Festival In China: The Mediating Effects Of Emotion And Satisfaction. PhD thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

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Abstract

In recent years, the rapid development of rural festivals as part of the rural revitalization strategy has made tourist retention a crucial issue for organizers. This study examines the relationship between tourist experience, festival quality, perceived value, festival image, tourist emotion, satisfaction, and loyalty by developing a framework based on the Cognitive-Affective-Behaviour (C-A-B) model and Social Exchange Theory (SET). A total of 384 questionnaires were collected on-site from four rural festivals in China. SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 4 were used for analysis. Results indicated that tourist loyalty is affected by satisfaction; tourist emotion is influenced by experience and festival quality; and satisfaction is influenced by festival quality, perceived value, festival image, and tourist emotion. The study also revealed that tourist emotion mediates the relationship between tourist experience, festival quality, and satisfaction; satisfaction mediates the relationship between festival quality, perceived value, festival image, and loyalty; and place attachment does not strengthen the influence of satisfaction on loyalty. This study offers a novel integration of emotional and cognitive mechanisms in rural festival tourism, applies a serial mediation model rarely used in this field, and introduces place attachment as a moderator of loyalty behaviors. Practically, it helps organizers identify factors to integrate into marketing strategies that foster tourist emotion, satisfaction, and loyalty.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions: Pusat Pengajian Siswazah Perniagaan (Graduate School of Business) > Thesis
Depositing User: Mr Aizat Asmawi Abdul Rahim
Date Deposited: 21 Sep 2026 07:13
Last Modified: 21 Sep 2026 07:13
URI: http://eprints.usm.my/id/eprint/65002

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