Place Attachment and Destination Loyalty of Religious Tourists in Chiang Mai, Thailand: Examining the Role of Emotional Solidarity and Risk Perception

ABSTRACT

Chiang Mai is the most popular destination in Thailand for religious tourism. Religious tourism refers to contemporary travel to religion-themed tourist destinations for religious and/or recreational purposes. The growth of religious tourism is inextricably linked with the worldwide increase in spiritual searching by individuals of all ages, cultures, and religions. Religious destinations are places of development, commitment, and vitality;however, they often attract attention owing to their emotional significance. This research performs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) as a quantitative method to investigate the destination loyalty of tourists through their emotional connection with a place, emotional solidarity with the locals, and risk perception. Data was collected from 543 Thai tourists who have visited temples in Chiang Mai. Results indicate that place attachment has a direct influence on tourists' emotional solidarity. In addition, the emotional solidarity of the tourists with the locals is a significant predictor of their destination loyalty. Furthermore, this research finds that the emotional solidarity of the tourists mediates the relationship between their place attachment and destination loyalty. Moreover, the risk perception of the tourists during the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that the moderating effect of their emotional solidarity and destination loyalty is insignificant. Finally, the implications of the findings recommend that religious destinations should organize local religious events and promote them to tourists. Establishing a sense of solidarity among tourists, religious destinations, and nearby communities, would strengthen destination loyalty among tourists. © 2022, Thammasat University. All rights reserved.