From authenticity to loyalty via subjective well-being and place attachment: Evidence from a World Heritage Site across local, national, and international visitors

Abstract

Identifying the determinants of tourists' destination loyalty is critical for advancing tourism marketing and management strategies. Although extensive research exists on tourist loyalty, the specific role of authenticity within heritage tourism remains under-investigated. This study examines the relationships among authenticity, subjective well-being, place attachment, and destination loyalty for visitors to Naqsh-e Jahan Square, a World Heritage Site in Iran. Data were collected from a total of 930 tourists, with an equal number of respondents from local, national, and international visitor groups. Structural Equation Modeling was employed to test the proposed model for each cohort and the overall sample, including an examination of tourist type as a moderating variable. Findings indicate that existential authenticity exerts a significant positive effect on place attachment, subjective well-being, and loyalty across all groups, with notably stronger impacts observed among local visitors. Moreover, subjective well-being is a significant predictor of loyalty for national and international tourists but not for locals. These insights offer practical implications for destination managers seeking to develop targeted strategies tailored to diverse visitor segments.