The impact of leisure satisfaction of tourists participating in recreational activities on destination image and revisit intention

The primary aim of this research is to examine the effects of leisure satisfaction levels of tourists participating in recreational activities on destination image (cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions) and revisit intention. The study encompasses data obtained from Turkish and foreign (e.g., British, German, Russian) tourists staying at five-star hotels in Antalya, Türkiye. Participants were selected using the convenience sampling method; after conducting an outlier analysis, 376 valid responses out of 432 were included in the final analyses. For the analysis of demographic variables, SPSS 25 was utilized, while SmartPLS 4 was employed for model testing using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM) technique. The results indicate that the effect of leisure satisfaction on revisit intention is not direct but rather indirect and significant through the mediating role of destination image. This finding highlights that destination image plays a full mediating role and statistically supports the conceptual structure of the model. The findings reveal that leisure satisfaction is a significant factor shaping tourists' revisit behavior through their perceptions of destination image.