Determinants of destination loyalty: an examination of golf tourism in belek

In today?s competitive market, it is becoming increasingly important for destination marketers and managers to develop a better understanding of determinants of destination loyalty. The aim of this study is to identify the effect of the casual relationships among travel motivations, destination image, perceived service quality and satisfaction on destination loyalty. The research was conducted with 1250 golf tourists visiting Belek, representing Turkey in the golf tourism market. A total of 900 questionnaires were returned and the relevant relationships proposed in the conceptual destination loyalty framework were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Findings of this study indicate that affective component of destination image was the most important factor influencing destination loyalty, followed by satisfaction, perceived service quality of golf courses, cognitive component of destination image and golf oriented travel motivations. In addition the findings indicate that the main information sources used by golf tourists in destination choice are, in order of importance; TV, fairs and organizations about golfing and the internet. The study offers communication strategies aimed at determinants of golf tourists? destination loyalty, information sources and tourist profile.