EXPLORING THE ROLE OF PLACE ATTACHMENT IN SHAPING SATISFACTION AMONG ADVENTURE TOURISTS IN MALAYSIA
Keywords:
Adventure tourism, Place attachment, Tourists satisfaction, Place affect, Place identity, MalaysiaAbstract
Adventure tourism is increasingly popular in ecologically rich destinations like Malaysia offering immersive experiences that foster place attachment. This study explores the impact of place attachment on tourist satisfaction among adventure tourists in Malaysia, conceptualizing attachment into four dimensions: place affect, place identity, place dependence, and place social bonding. A quantitative approach was employed, with survey data collected from 402 adventure tourists in Gopeng, Perak, ensuring robust statistical analysis. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the study found that place affect (β = 0.704, p < 0.001) and place identity (β = 0.122, p = 0.031) positively influence satisfaction, emphasizing the role of emotional and self-identity connections in enhancing tourist experiences. In contrast, place dependence (β = -0.095, p = 0.108) and place social bonding (β = -0.097, p = 0.028) had insignificant or negative effects, suggesting that functional reliance and social interactions are less critical in adventure tourism satisfaction. The model explained 45% of the variance (R² = 0.45) in satisfaction, with place affect exhibiting the highest predictive power (f² = 0.290). Findings underscore the need for destination managers to prioritize emotional engagement, storytelling, and immersive experiences to strengthen attachment and satisfaction. The study contributes to sustainable tourism management by highlighting the significance of emotional and identity-based connections. Future research should adopt longitudinal and qualitative approaches to examine evolving place attachment dynamics over time.
References
Almodawer, Y., Alam, S. S., Sinniah, S., & Ali, M. H. (2024). Health tourism in Malaysia: Understanding the drivers of satisfaction and revisit intention. Tourism Recreation Research, 1-22.
Dai, Q., Peng, S., Guo, Z., Zhang, C., Dai, Y., Hao, W., & Li, J. (2023). Place identity as a mediator between motivation and tourist loyalty in 'red tourism'. PLoS ONE, 18(10), e0284574.
Deng, W., Lin, Y., & Chen, L. (2021). Exploring destination choice intention by using the tourism photographic: From the perspectives of visual esthetic processing. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 713739.
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2010). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and life satisfaction. Handbook of Positive Psychology, 2(3), 187-194.
Ganji, S. F. G., Johnson, L. W., & Sadeghian, S. (2021). The effect of place image and place attachment on residents’ perceived value and support for tourism development. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(9), 1304-1318.
Garson, G. D. (2012). Testing statistical assumptions. Statistical Associates Publishing.
Gautam, V. (2025). Examining relationships among festival satisfaction, place attachment, emotional experience, and destination loyalty. Leisure Sciences, 47(2), 348-365.
Hahs-Vaughn, D. L. (2016). Applied multivariate statistical concepts. Routledge.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Pearson.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis 8th edition.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2019). Partial least squares structural equation modeling: Rigorous applications, better results, and higher acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46(1-2), 1-12.
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): Rigorous applications, better results, and higher acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46(1-2), 1-12.
Hair, J. F., Tomas, G., Hult, M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.).
Huta, V., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Pursuing pleasure or virtue? The differential and overlapping well-being benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic motives. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(6), 735-762.
Ispas, A., Untaru, E., Candrea, A. N., & Han, H. (2021). Impact of place identity and place dependence on satisfaction and loyalty toward Black Sea coastal destinations: The role of visitation frequency. Coastal Management, 49(1), 23-45.
Jorgensen, B. S., & Stedman, R. C. (2001). Sense of place as an attitude: Lakeshore owners' attitudes toward their properties. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 21(3), 233-248.
Kong, L., Liu, Z., Pan, X., Wang, Y., Guo, X., & Wu, J. (2022). How do different types and landscape attributes of urban parks affect visitors' positive emotions?. Landscape and Urban Planning, 226, 104482.
Li, W., & Liu, Y. (2024). The influence of visual and auditory environments in parks on visitors’ landscape preference, emotional state, and perceived restorativeness. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-18.
Lynn, M. R. (1986). Determination and quantification of content validity. Nursing Research, 35(6), 382-385.
Mat Yusoff, S., Leng, C. H., Razak, R. A., Basal, M. H., & Mohamad Marzaini, A. F. (2024). Conceptions of Assessment: Perceptions of Physical and Health Education Teachers in Selangor, Malaysia. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 32(1), 189-216.
Mitchell, M. L., & Jolley, J. M. (2013). Research design explained. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Nasir, M. N. M., Mohamad, M., Ghani, N. I. A., & Afthanorhan, A. (2020). Testing mediation roles of place attachment and tourist satisfaction on destination attractiveness and destination loyalty relationship using phantom approach. Management Science Letters, 10(2), 443-454.
Ramkissoon, H., & Mavondo, F. T. (2015). The satisfaction–place attachment relationship: Potential mediators and moderators. Journal of Business Research, 68(12), 2593-2602.
Shaykh-Bagloo, R. (2021). A model of tourist satisfaction and loyalty: Examining the mediating role of place attachment. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40, 100889.
Sirgy, M. J., Lee, D. J., & Yu, G. B. (2011). How does a travel experience affect travelers’ life satisfaction? Journal of Travel Research, 50(3), 261-275.
Ujang, N., & Zakaria, J. (2018). Visitors’ attachment to historic tourism places in Kuala Lumpur City Centre towards sustainable urban regeneration. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 3(8), 287-294.
Walker, G. J., & Chapman, R. (2003). Thinking like a park: The effects of sense of place, perspective-taking, and empathy on pro-environmental intentions. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 21(4), 71-86.
Williams, D. (1989). Measuring place attachment: Some preliminary results. National Recreation and Park Association.
Williams, D. R., and Vaske, J. J. (2003). The measurement of place attachment: Validity and generalizability of a psychometric approach. Forest Science, 49(6), 830-840.
Zhang, X., & Ren, X. (2024). Design Dilemma between Urban Tourism and Quality of Life: Assessment of Livability Barriers in Different Contexts. Sustainability, 16(12), 4897.