School of Tourism, Wuyi University, Nanping, China.
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 22;19(8):e0296944. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296944. eCollection 2024.
Although tourist-to-tourist interaction (TTI) has been identified as an essential element in tourist experiences, the effect of TTI quality on tourist loyalty, and the mechanism underlying this effect is scarcely discussed in the literature. Based on the self-determination theory, this study aims to examine whether and how TTI quality influences tourist loyalty, representing a significant means to achieve destination sustainability. More specifically, this study tested a moderated mediation model in which basic psychological needs satisfaction mediated the relationship between TTI quality and tourist loyalty, while sociability moderated the link between TTI quality and basic psychological needs satisfaction. A survey research approach was used, and 746 complete, usable responses were collected in multiple cities in China. The results revealed that the direct impact of TTI quality on tourist loyalty is mediated by basic psychological needs satisfaction. Furthermore, sociability positively moderates the influence of TTI quality on tourist loyalty. This study extends the TTI literature by demonstrating the mechanism of basic psychological needs satisfaction and tourists' sociability in the relationship between TTI quality and tourist loyalty. Managerial suggestions are provided for industry practitioners to improve tourist relationship management and the sustainability of destinations.
尽管游客间互动（TTI）已被确定为游客体验的一个重要组成部分，但 TTI 质量对游客忠诚度的影响，以及这种影响的作用机制在文献中鲜有讨论。本研究基于自我决定理论，旨在探讨 TTI 质量是否以及如何影响游客忠诚度，这是实现目的地可持续性的重要手段。更具体地说，本研究检验了一个被调节的中介模型，其中基本心理需求满足中介了 TTI 质量和游客忠诚度之间的关系，而社交性调节了 TTI 质量和基本心理需求满足之间的联系。采用了调查研究方法，在中国多个城市共收集了 746 份完整、可用的回复。结果表明，TTI 质量对游客忠诚度的直接影响是通过基本心理需求满足来介导的。此外，社交性正向调节了 TTI 质量对游客忠诚度的影响。本研究通过展示 TTI 质量和游客忠诚度之间的关系中基本心理需求满足和游客社交性的作用机制，扩展了 TTI 文献。为行业从业者提供了管理建议，以改善游客关系管理和目的地的可持续性。
