Effects of Tourists' Perceived Crowding on Tourist Loyalty Based on Overcrowded Tourist Attraction in Bangladesh: The Mediating Role of Destination Attractiveness

Abstract

For the study, the researchers proposed a multidimensional way to measure tourist-perceived crowding (TPC) and an integrated approach to tourist loyalty from a customer perspective based on the stimulus organism response model. A structural equation modeling was applied to examine the relationship among variables using the data collected from Bangladesh's crowded and popular tourist attractions. The study found that neutral crowding has significant negative effects and personal crowding has significant positive effects on destination attractiveness, but social crowding has no relationship with destination attractiveness. Moreover, social crowding directly affects tourist loyalty, but neutral and personal crowding indirectly affect tourist loyalty by mediating destination attractiveness. This study suggested a new result: TPC has both negative and positive impacts on destination attractiveness in overcrowded destinations. From the management perspective, the study suggested interesting insights for crowding and destination management, which ultimately affect tourist loyalty.