The Mediating Effect of Tourists’ Satisfaction on the Relationship Between Destination Image and Tourists’ Loyalty: A Study of Selected Archaeological Sites of Jordan

Abstract

Tourism has become an essential sector for the economy of many countries. The tourism industry in Jordan has been rapidly developing due to its unique and remarkable assets, such as Petra, the Dead Sea, and Mount Nebo. This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of tourists' satisfaction on the relationship between destination image and tourists' loyalty in selected archaeological sites of Jordan. A conceptual model was developed based on previous empirical studies, and data were collected by distributing questionnaires to a random sample of 380 tourists who visited archaeological sites in Jordan specifically: Petra, mount Nebo, The Dead Sea and The Baptismal site. The findings of this study revealed that destination image had a significant impact on tourists' satisfaction and loyalty. Moreover, tourists' satisfaction mediated the relationship between destination image and tourists' loyalty. The study also found that tourists' satisfaction had a significant impact on their loyalty towards the archaeological sites. These findings suggest that enhancing the destination image and improving tourists' satisfaction can lead to increased loyalty towards archaeological sites in Jordan. The study provides valuable insights for managers of archaeological sites to develop effective strategies for improving the tourism industry in Jordan, the most important of which is to focus on developing the destination image through promoting the unique historical aspects for the archaeological sites, as well as increasing the marketing efforts toward them, and creating a digital map for archaeological sites that would help tourists to explore and access these sites easily, in addition to improving the quality of services, facilities and infrastructure to meet the expectations of tourists and enhance their satisfaction.