A Further Investigation of Revisit Intention: A Multigroup Analysis

Abstract

This study advances existing tourism research on revisit intention to its temporal dimension, intended revisit timing, which is defined as the time interval between the current visit and the intended next visit. This study also examines the possible antecedents of intended revisit timing: travel distance, length of stay, and attitude to the destination. A sample of 604 pleasure travelers who reported likely revisit intentions was selected from a visitor profile dataset. A framework of antecedents of intended revisit timing was proposed and empirically examined across the three loyalty groups of respondents: first-time visitors, frequent visitors (2−5 visitations), and loyal visitors (over 5 visitations). It is found that the travel distance consistently has a positive effect on the intended revisit timing. The results of the present research indicate the positive relationship between tourists’ travel distance and their intended revisit timing to the destination. In addition, this study suggests that only loyal visitors (over 5 visitations) with return intention would consider their attitude to the destination as a significant factor to affect their intended revisit timing; positive attitudes lead to a sooner return to the destination.

KEYWORDS:

• intended revisit timing
• previous experiences
• travel distance
• length of stay
• multigroup analysis