A path analytic investigation of relationship between destination performance overall satisfaction and behavioral intention for distinct segments

Abstract

Destination performance, visitor satisfaction, and favorable future behavior of visitors in the form of repeat visits or positive word-of-mouth are key determinants of destination competitiveness. Most empirical work, however, investigates the relationships among product (attribute) performance, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions (revisitation intention and recommendation), in an aggregated manner (i.e. assuming that overall tourist population is homogenous). This study, in a path analytic framework, investigates the relationship between attribute-based performance, overal satisfaction, and behavioral intention (re-visitation intention and recommendation) for diffirent segments of Canadian visitors of Las Vegas. The study found that overall satisfaction is an intervening variable between perceived performance and behavioral intention across the segments. The impact of perceived performance on overall satisfaction, however, showed variations due to segments. The study concludes that the segmented approach is more pragmatic than aggregated approach because it provides segment-specific implications for destination management and marketing.