The Role of Local Food Souvenirs in Enhancing the Image of Sustainable Tourism Village and Tourist Loyalty: Evidence from Indonesian Tourism Villages
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24922/eot.v13i2.01Keywords:
local food souvenirs, sustainable tourism village, tourist loyalty, destination image, community-based tourismAbstract
Tourism villages play a key role in Indonesia’s sustainable tourism development, especially in the post-pandemic era. While previous studies have examined local food, destination image and tourist loyalty separately, empirical research that integrates all three subjects within a single structural model remains limited, particularly in the context of tourism villages. This study addresses this gap by investigating how local food souvenirs influence tourist loyalty, both directly and indirectly through the image of sustainable tourism villages. A quantitative approach was employed using a structured online questionnaire administered to domestic tourists who had previously visited tourism villages in West Java and Central Java. These regions were selected due to their high concentration of established and emerging tourism villages as well as their strong emphasis on community-based tourism development. A total of 226 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The results indicate that local food souvenirs have a strong and significant positive effect on the image of sustainable tourism villages and a significant direct effect on tourist loyalty. Furthermore, the image of sustainable tourism villages partially mediates the relationship between local food souvenirs and tourist loyalty. The structural model demonstrates substantial explanatory power, with R2 values of 0.542 for image of sustainable tourism village and 0.390 for tourist loyalty. These findings suggest that local food souvenirs act as cultural and sustainability symbols that shape tourist perceptions and behavioral intentions. Strengthening sustainability narratives and community involvement embedded in food souvenirs can enhance the image of sustainable tourism village and foster long-term tourist loyalty.
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