A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis of Service Quality Model Affecting Tourist Loyalty in the Mekong Basin Tourism Development Zones to Create Sustainable Local Economy
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Abstract
This research aims to study the influence of service quality on tourist loyalty in the Mekong River Basin Tourism Development Zone. This is quantitative research using a sample size of 400 tourists who were chosen by random sampling from tourists aged 18 and above. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. It was found that the service quality significantly affected tourist loyalty statistically, with a path coefficient of 0.98. When checking for consistency with empirical data, the index values for the consistency of the structural equation model were: χ2= 25.156, df= 18, χ22/df= 1.398, P-value= 0.121, RMSEA= 0.032, CFI= 0.999, AGFI= 0.963, indicating that all values passed the criteria of the model consistency index. In addition, R2 = 97.00, which means that all variables can collectively explain the variance of effectiveness at 97.00%. Findings of this study can give insights for tourism entrepreneurs in Mekong River Basin Tourism Development Zone. They must maintain the level of service quality in line with the image of the locality by taking good care of all tourists fairly and improving the level of service to meet the tourists’ needs and ensure that they receive the best service. In addition, entrepreneurs have to present a distinctive tourism image in order to impress tourists. This results in travelers returning to the place again and recommending it to others by word of mouth which leads to sustainable tourism for the community in the future.
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