This article explores the antecedents of place attachment within the context of cultural tourism destinations. The proposed model is examined on two samples of cultural tourists with different cultural backgrounds. One sample consists of Hakka tourists, the same ethnic group as the hosts, and the other consists of tourists from a variety of non-Hakka ethnic backgrounds. The results indicate that both enduring involvement and destination attractiveness have a direct effect on place attachment, and that there is also an indirect effect of enduring involvement on place attachment mediated by destination attractiveness. Cross-group validation of the proposed model revealed that the structure fit both ethnic categories. A subsequent detailed examination, however, showed meaningful differences in the strengths of path coefficients between the two groups. These findings suggest that the meaning and formation of attachment may differ depending on the ethnic background of the tourists. Implications for theory and practice are provided.

This study proposes and tests a structural model regarding the effects of cuisine experience and psychological well-being on hot springs tourists’ revisit intentions and examines the moderating effect that self-health perception has on the relationships between these constructs. A questionnaire was administered to 524 Taiwanese tourists at the Bei-Tou hot springs area. The results indicated that cuisine experience and psychological well-being influence hot springs tourists’ revisit intentions and only cuisine experience affects psychological well-being; however, the significance of these factors varied based on the self-health perception levels (high or low) of tourists in the sample. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Most studies of tourists' destination choices have either focused on how to attract more tourists or on developing stable relationships with existing ones. Therefore, the fit of a conceptual model incorporating relational (destination attachment) and transactional (destination image) antecedents to patronizing intentions (revisit, recommend, and resist change) was tested on a sample of first-time visitors and on a sample of repeat visitors to a hot spring destination in Taiwan. The findings indicated that first-time visitors' intentions to patronize the destination were mainly affected by destination image and that repeat visitors' intentions to patronize the destination were primarily affected by destination attachment. These findings highlight the importance of destination attachment and destination image in predicting tourists' patronizing intentions and future behavior, and reveal that researchers have overlooked that the antecedents of tourists' patronizing intentions differ depending on the type of relationship they have with the destination. As a result, this study provides compelling evidence for the need to clearly situate studies of destination choice in the transactional-relational continuum and questions the generalizability of previously published work that neglects to do so.

This study examines a ceramic souvenir-repurchasing model for understanding the effects of authenticity perception, hedonics, and perceived value on the souvenir-repurchasing intentions of tourists. A total of 419 tourists at the Yingge Ceramics Area in Taiwan were administered an on-site questionnaire. The sample was divided into two data sets. Analyses of structural equations and competing models were employed to test hypothesized relationships and determine the best fitting model. The results indicate that authenticity perception and hedonics are important determinants of perceived value, which in turn influences souvenir-repurchasing intention. The findings suggest that in addition to further strengthening the value of souvenirs, the future efforts of destination marketing organizations to understand tourists' souvenir-repurchasing behaviors should consider the authenticity and hedonic needs of repeat tourists.