UNLOCKING TOURIST LOYALTY IN HERITAGE DESTINATIONS: ASSESSING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF MEMORABLE TOURISM EXPERIENCES IN SEMEY, KAZAKHSTAN
UNLOCKING TOURIST LOYALTY IN HERITAGE DESTINATIONS: ASSESSING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF MEMORABLE TOURISM EXPERIENCES IN SEMEY, KAZAKHSTAN

Summary/Abstract: This study investigates the structural relationships between visitor engagement, heritage motives, destination image and the impact on revisit intention and electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) with memorable tourism experience (MTE) as a mediating mechanism in the heritage tourism context of Semey, Kazakhstan. This research utilized a purposive sample of 325 tourists from organized heritage tours to collect data for an online survey. The hypotheses were tested through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results show that visitor engagement and destination image have a significant impact on both MTE and behavioral intentions. Heritage motives influence MTE positively, but they do not directly statistically significantly affect revisit intention or eWoM; rather they influence it, although indirectly, through MTE. These findings demonstrate the central mediation of MTE to transform cognitive and motivational antecedents toward loyalty outcomes, emphasizing that experiential quality is an important facilitate in promoting long-term behavioral intentions in heritage destinations.

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