1. Introduction
The national transformation programs of Saudi Arabia, based on the Vision 2030 plan, intend to bring far-reaching transformations to the way the economy is driven. Amongst the key goals of these transformation plans is to strengthen the non-oil-based sectors of the economy to diverge from the traditional oil-based economic model in Saudi Arabia [1]. Amongst the chief non-oil industries, the tourism sector has a great prospect to influence the Saudi economic growth and development. Tourism in Saudi Arabia is centuries old, as it has been the ultimate destination of religious tourism for Muslims from across the globe due to the presence of the two holiest sites. Apart from these two sites, there are a large number of other places that have rich religious, historical, archaeological, and cultural significance. In recent times, the tourism industry in Saudi Arabia has concentrated on promoting other tourism areas to strengthen the complete tourism industry, such as shopping festivals and cultural, recreational, and sports events. Tourism and entertainment are contributing as growth drivers to the economic progress of Saudi Arabia. The contributing factor includes a surge in incoming tourists and a decline in the number of outbound tourists. The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage (SCTH) was founded with the goal of promoting religious tourism as well as other tourism disciplines, such as entertainment. According to a recent report [1], the government wants to dominate Middle East tourism and become one of the biggest vital players in the world’s tourism industry. To entice tourists to the kingdom, KSA issued a new tourist visa for foreign tourists in September 2019. The travel and tourism industry contributes 9% of the nation’s overall economic output, or one out of every eleven riyals generated, which is a significant amount. According to a recently published report [2], the travel and tourism industry in KSA is responsible for 1.1 million jobs, or 8.5% of all employment. The survey also showed that the travel and tourism industry made a significant economic contribution to the kingdom and has long been acknowledged as a key factor in economic development, job creation, and the growth of isolated rural areas [2].
Ha’il is the capital of the north-central part of Saudi Arabia, which stretches from Mount Shammer in the north to Mount Salma in the south. The magnificent city of Ha’il, which has breathtaking terrain and a dynamic culture, is a top tourist attraction that attracts thousands of tourists every year. There are many amazing attractions in Ha’il, including historical places, heritage landmarks, stunning vistas, and architectural monuments. The city of Ha’il is renowned for organizing international events, such as the Ha’il International Rally, in which rally cars, quads, and motorbikes race through the Ha’il region, as well as the Desert Festival, which highlights the local culture. This annual event in Ha’il is the biggest car rally in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the Kingdom’s most popular events which draws top talent from around the world [3].
The locals of Ha’il are renowned for their generosity, thus it should come as no surprise that the great poet Hatem al-Tai, the personification of generosity and charity, belonged to Ha’il. The “Arabian Nights” also makes reference to the legend of Hatem. Samrah Mountain and Al Rajhi Mosque are two well-known city attractions. On top of Samrah mountain, the legendary Hatim al-Tai regularly lit a fire to welcome visitors. Currently, a gas-powered fire and electric lighting make this mountain a magnificent sight at night. At the base of the Samrah mountain, there is also a lovely park and a lake. The Al Rajhi Mosque is a prominent feature of the city due to its excellent Turkish-style architecture and lush interior. In the Ha’il province, archeological sites from 10,000 BC to 75,000 BC have been discovered. According to historians, people have lived in the region since at least the Paleolithic era. The UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Jubbah and Shuwaymis are located just outside of the city. Both of these locations are home to intriguing petroglyphs from the prehistoric era. The surrounding terrain of the area is also very fascinating, and the region is renowned for its distinctive mountains. The sandstone cliffs that have been shaped by centuries of weathering have some incredibly distinctive shapes. The Barzan Castle, Al-Qishlah Castle, and A’arif Fort are the three renowned castles that can also be seen in Ha’il [4].
Travelers frequently go in search of exceptional experiences that are different from what they experience at home. Various interactions between people and their environments in the landscape are possible [5]. From this vantage point, an experiential perspective of the encounter includes an individual’s experience with both the location itself and the various interactions and connections that take place there. The person participates and frames the conversations while remaining in a certain landscape [6]. The process of internalization involves a sequence of contacts with the environment, which adds to the individual’s involvement and shapes his or her perception and response [6]. A person’s goals or expectations of the interaction with the environment influence their state of mind, such as being relaxed or excited [7]. Moreover, becoming familiar with environments through these connections leads to elements of perceived value and satisfaction [8,9,10,11,12]. Thus, the assessment of the involvements can impact one’s approaches and actions. Tourists not only become involved in sightseeing, but also take a keen interest in various events at the tourist location, like playing customary games or interacting with the residents. Hence, the trip experience comprises the interconnection among the social circumstances, the physical surroundings, and human behavior [13]. Travelers interact with a diverse and distinctive surrounding landscape along with natural and social surroundings with the locals. During this, tourists evaluate tour experiences by assigning values to them, and this develops their perceptions about the experiences and their associated value to them [14].
When influenced by a location, the tourist involvement is a blend of the traveler’s personal and assumed views and opinions of inclusive exchanges in the tourist location [15]. Therefore, investigating the uncertain connections between tourist experience quality, perceived price value, and tourist satisfaction requires more research. Earlier studies have investigated tourist experience in many perspectives, such as dark tourism [16], heritage tourism [17], mass tourism [18], and culture tourism [19]. As suggested by this research, the tourist experience quality in a specific perspective can be an important part of the tourist’s perceived value and satisfaction, which stimulates tourist destination loyalty. In spite of the significant role of tourist experience, consisting of diverse interactions at a specific destination, there is scarce research that establishes the associations among the quality of the tourist experience and perceived price, as well as their influence on the satisfaction of tourists, especially in a MiddleEastern setting. Besides, tourists’ understandings of the destination may differ due to an amalgamated destination image constructed from the interactions with the destination’s distinctive settings (e.g., places and people). So, we believe that it is important to understand and explain the influence of visitors’ real quality of experience on their level of satisfaction.
Tourists are exposed to these distinctive tangible and social atmospheres at a destination, that may affect their subjective assessments of tour experiences and perceived monetary value and price reasonableness. When travelling to a tourist site in pursuit of exclusive journey experiences, tourists expend their precious time and money. Either purchasing a tour package from a tour company or personally buying air-tickets and booking hotel rooms, tourists gauge their spending differently based on what they obtain from a tourist destination [20]. Based on this insight, tourists’ involvements at a location are attached to their perceptive costs. For the tourism sector, experience quality and perceived price are crucial because of their strong connection with tourist satisfaction.
Though, the associations between quality of experience, price, and perceived value remain complicated [7,17]. This complication may be initiated by the intertwined procedure of perceiving price and general experiences at a destination. Travelers are initially aware of only the prices of tour packages. Though travelers can make comparisons with the competitors’ prices, it is difficult to assess the meaning of the prices prior to the actual experience of a destination. Meanwhile, tourists can also weigh whether the destination and its experience are worth the money.
Regenerative tourism signifies a sustainable travelling mindset and discovering new locations. “Regenerative tourism involvement” may be interpreted as being similar to “ecotourism and its associated traits.” Research is available that documents that tourist behavior is positively affected by those services provided by destinations. For example, tourists are more likely to remove trash and debris from beaches/water if trash receptacles are provided on-site. Signage also impacts eco-touristic behavior by providing explanations of the significance of the area, including its flora/fauna. The aim is to create a positive influence on the holiday destinations of the tourists, implying that the tourist should travel back from the destination leaving it in a better state than it was when they arrived. A philosophy going beyond “not harming” the environment and aiming to pro-actively rejuvenate and stimulate it, leading to a positive cycle of influences on domestic populations and markets: this is sustainable regeneration. Numerous previous research papers have indicated a positive correlation between regenerative tourism involvement and tourist satisfaction [21,22,23,24,25,26].
Tourist destination loyalty is the tourist’s intent to revisit the destination and their readiness to endorse it [27,28]. Studies have shown that positive travel experiences vis-à-vis services, products, and amenities extended by the destination can produce positive word-of-mouth (WOM) endorsements and re-visits [27,28,29]. Researchers established that satisfaction has an impact on a tourist’s prospective actions and behavioral intentions [29,30,31]. Researchers established that the tourists’ behavior pertaining to loyalty (i.e., their intention to revisit and willingness to recommend) can be induced by the perceived destination image [30,32,33,34,35]. Thus, tourist destination loyalty is considered to be an important element in destination marketing, as it is inexpensive, and as it is easier to retain current tourists than to attract new ones [36].
Creating an appropriate destination image is vital for competitiveness [37]. The reason is that the image of the destination has a crucial role in tourist satisfaction and experience [38], affecting the intent of travelers to visit and come back to the same destination again [39,40]. The image of destination is explained as the overall impact experienced by travelers about a particular location [40]. The tourist experience quality, which comprises the relationship with the tourist location, is significant because of its direct linkage with the satisfaction of tourists and perceived value [41]. The satisfaction of the tourist is critical for business’s existence as travelers have the power to influence tourism growth and development [29].
This study specifically aims to:
Examine the impact of tourist experience quality (escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, involvement), perceived price reasonableness, and regenerative tourism involvement on the tourist satisfaction;
Explore the moderating effect of tourist destination loyalty and destination image on the relationships quality of tourist experience (escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, involvement), perceived price reasonableness, and regenerative tourism involvement have with tourist satisfaction.
Saudi Arabia has prioritized sustainable tourism as well as environmental protection, driven by its 2030 vision through initiatives like its Red Sea development [42]. As a first step in establishing its sustainable, intelligent, and seamlessly integrated transport network across The Red Sea, Red Sea Global (RSG), the company behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism destinations has purchased a fleet of electric buses. More than 2 million trees have been cultivated in the company’s landscape nursery, the first solar farms for phase one will soon be finished, 75% of their more than 90 islands will remain untouched, and their staff will be held to a higher standard of sustainability [43]. This study will prove to be very relevant and timely in helping tourism practitioners in Saudi Arabia to understand the perceptions of international tourists regarding regenerative tourism. This understanding will help them to better design tourist activities and services which will further enhance the tourist’s satisfaction.
Earlier studies have investigated the tourist experience from many perspectives, such as dark tourism [16], heritage tourism [17], mass tourism [18], and culture tourism [19]. As suggested by this research, the tourist experience quality in a specific perspective can have an important role as the source of the tourist’s perceived value and satisfaction, which stimulates tourist destination loyalty. However, these studies are usually undertaken in the setting of western and/or eastern countries, with few studies being conducted in the context of developing countries, particularly where the development of non-religious tourism is in its infancy, as is the case in Saudi Arabia. Despite the significant role of tourist experience, consisting of diverse interactions at a specific destination, there is a scarcity of research which establishes the associations among the quality of tourist experience and perceived price, as well as their influence on the satisfaction of tourists, especially in a MiddleEastern setting. Besides, tourists’ understandings of the destination may differ due to an amalgamated destination image constructed based on interactions with the destination’s distinctive settings (e.g., places and people). So, we believe that it is important to understand and explain the influence of a visitor’s real quality of experience on their level of satisfaction. Policymakers will be better able to plan and arrange tourist events to attain tourist satisfaction if they have a thorough understanding of the elements that influence visitor satisfaction in Saudi Arabia. This will undoubtedly have an impact on how the nation’s tourism industry develops and how much it contributes to the national economy. It is also vital to comprehend whether the findings from developed nations can be applied to developing nations, such as Saudi Arabia, where officials are inexperienced with the non-religious tourism industry.
Theoretical Framework
The term “landscape” is frequently used in both everyday life and numerous academic fields. The landscape has indeed been substantially influenced by human activity. Despite being commonplace, the landscape is a fundamental part of the cultural and natural legacy of the world. The landscape can have an impact on how people feel and act [44]. As a result, diverse behaviors may be implied by various perceptions of the landscape. Therefore, one’s opinion of the landscape also influences their choice of tourist location. As a result, studies on landscape perception are highly valuable for marketing tourism attractions and services. It’s important to recognize how tourists view particular landscapes given the growing competition among various tourist destinations. To better comprehend tourists’ tour experiences and their impact on the eventual output variable (tourist satisfaction with tour experience), this study presents the perspective of landscape perception [45,46,47], which is grounded in environmental psychology.
2. Literature Review
A tourist destination provides an attractive and memorable experience to the tourists. The different types of tourists are looking for different experiences at the same destination. The tourists are not homogenous, and the existing literature highlights them as diverse. Most of the studies focusing on tourists’ experience of a tourist destination have primarily focused on the tourists’ satisfaction. This phenomenon is related to the psychological process of tourists’ pre- and post-tourism experiences. According to a study [48], the psychology and tourism framework acknowledges the pre- and post-experience stages. According to another study [49], to understand the psychology of tourists, it is necessary to explore psychological concepts such as attitudes, experience, decision-making, emotions, and satisfaction in depth. Some studies [17,41] use various tourist experience variables to examine the relationship between these variables and tourists’ satisfaction. Likewise, this study intends to study tourist satisfaction in the Ha’il region by using tourist escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, involvement, perceived price reasonableness, and regenerative tourism involvement as the main variables, and destination image and tourists’ loyalty as mediating variables.
2.1. Landscape Perception and Tourist Experience through the Lens of an Experiential Approach
Research [50] has documented that landscape features include the social and cultural environments in addition to geography. Humans and landscapes together form an environmental psychology model of how people see landscapes. Studies [45,46] suggest that a person’s perception of a landscape is based on interactions with their surroundings. When information is received simultaneously by a person through several senses and circumstances, they are surrounded by a landscape that offers a wealth of information. Based on personal interest, individuals categorize the information resulting from the environment as peripheral or central. According to research [47], the individuals who actively participate in a certain environment not only act as an observer but also infer and communicate symbolic meanings. The observatory involvement with the landscapes is the outcome of landscape and human contacts. Hence, the experiences and feelings that one takes away from the environment are the outcome of the individual’s perception of the landscapes. According to one study [45], the relationship between a landscape and an individual is visible in individual to individual, or individual to landscape dimensions.
Practically, the available activities and an individual’s attachment to a place contributes to the person’s experience after their interaction. One study [47] found that, after staying at certain landscapes, individuals start to interact with the environment. It further argues that multiple interactions with the environment result in multiple experiences that ultimately contribute to the person’s insight and response through internalization. Likewise, research [7] reported that one’s desire or expectations after involvement results in the feelings of excitement and relaxation, which further contribute to the satisfaction, value, and positive feelings [8,9,11,12,45,51]. Thus, the individual’s behavior and attitude are the outcomes of their experience evaluation.
Applying the experiential method of landscape perception to Ha’il tourism, we may say that interactions between visitors and a tourist location shape visitors’ experiences. The interactions between visitors and a tourist location shape visitors’ experiences, according to the experiential approach to landscape perception in tourism. The interaction between the social situation, the physical environment, and human conduct thus makes up the person’s tour experience. Travelers are exposed to a diverse and distinctive physical, natural, and social environment, particularly with the local residents. Additionally, the tourists infer explanations of their tour experience which contributes to their anticipation and valuation of experiences.
According to research [52], under the influence of an environment, an individual’s feeling, thoughts, and psychological attitude follows his/her experience. This suggests that the process of internalizing encountered at a site produces responses which form the tourist experience.
2.2. Influence of Tourist Experience Quality on Tourist Satisfaction
To study the tourist experience quality on the basis of their experience at the tourist destination, this paper used four variables: namely, escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, and involvement [17]. These four variables of the tourist experience can be evaluated by tourists to determine their tourist experience quality. However, current research [7,11,53,54] primarily focuses on the overall tourist experience quality rather than looking at which variable of the tourist experience directly influences subsequent variables, like tourist satisfaction. This study focuses on the influence of each of the individual variables (e.g., escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, and involvement) of tourist experience quality on tourist satisfaction.
In tourism, escapism focuses on the tourists who briefly want to escape from their daily life. As per a study [55], tourism is one factor that can help tourists to forget and temporarily escape from day-to-day life. In the existing literature, various research has explored the association between tourism and escapism and supported the role of tourism in individuals’ escape from ordinary life [56]. In addition, another study [57] explained that a tourist wants to “escape from” their ordinary life, social life, work-life, etc. and “escape to” the tourist destination to have a new experience. This concept is related to the idea of the push-pull framework. According to a study [58], the push can be related to the escape from factors where the tourists’ motivation, experience, or spiritual attachment leads to push them and escape from what he/she is experiencing. On the other hand, the pull could be related to the escape to a factor where the destination properties and attractions encourage the traveler to visit that place. They also suggested that escapism is related to both the local and international tourists, however, the satisfaction level is higher for foreign travelers.
The existing literature on tourism concludes that escapism is appealing to individuals who want to relax or want to go away from their routine activities, and that escapist activities lead to spending on entertainment activities [58,59]. Researchers consider escapism as one of the primary motivational factors that encourage individuals to take a leisure trip away from routine life [60]. According to a previous study [61], tourists escape from the urban areas to enjoy nature. Another study [41] reported that escapism and satisfaction are partially mediated by the perceived value. The existing literature on tourism [62,63] report a positive relationship between escapism and satisfaction, hence, the study proposes the hypothesis below:
There is a relationship between tourist escapism and tourist satisfaction.
Escapism can help individuals to improve their psychological health and minimize stress through relaxation [56]. An earlier study [64] stated that it is important for the tourist to be satisfied with all the recreational or relaxation activities he/she performs or any services related to that they receive. Such a level of satisfaction leads to the repetition of a visit to the destination and recommending it to their peers as well. Tourist satisfaction is explained as the degree of positive emotional state initiated from the experience of a tourist at a tourist destination [64].
A previous study [63] reported a positive linear relationship between relaxation and satisfaction. This study on the Cappadocia region, which is a famous cultural and historical destination, concluded that relaxation was the most significant factor that contributed to the tourists’ satisfaction with the region. Another study [60] found that relaxation is the most important motivational factor for tourists who visit the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. For tourists to cultural destinations, relaxation is found to be a primary factor of motivation that affects the tourists’ satisfaction and tourist destination loyalty [62]. In the light of the above-mentioned discussion based on the existing literature, this study proposes the following hypothesis about tourist relaxation and satisfaction:
There is a relationship between tourist relaxation and tourist satisfaction.
The tourists aspire to have an enjoyable trip during their visit to any specified destination and the enjoyment experience is related to their level of satisfaction from the destination visit. According to a previous study [65], for holidaymakers, the perceived enjoyment contributes to their satisfaction, however, many unforeseeable factors can contribute to the customers’ enjoyment and satisfaction. The enjoyment is based on the positive and negative emotions and customers rely on their own emotions for satisfaction formation [49].
There is a relationship between tourist enjoyment and tourist satisfaction.
Involvement is related to emotions, influenced by the motivations and goals of the customer in his/her decision to purchase any product or service [66,67]. The definition of involvement in the tourism literature highlights the tourist’s inner state variable, showing the amount of provocation, keenness, or attractiveness of a product or destination due to the motivational reasons [68]. Thus, involvement is expected to affect the tourist’s experience value of the destination [68].
According to an earlier study [69], the tourists’ satisfaction and future intention to revisit are influenced by the service quality, involvement, and motivation. They further argued that tourists involved in various festivals or recreational activities are assumed to be satisfied with the activities in which they got involved. Hence the study [69] hypothesized a positive relationship between involvement and tourist satisfaction, and another study found the same positive relationship between tourists’ involvement and perceived value [68]. Their results endorsed the findings of previous studies [70,71], which also suggested that the involvement and motivation of the tourists are important factors that affect the tourists’ perceived value of the destination. Moreover, the perceived value of the destination can be used to recognize the direct and indirect satisfaction of the tourists with the destination in terms of their motivation to revisit the place in the future [71]. In the light of existing literature, this study hypothesizes the following relationship between tourists’ involvement and tourists’ satisfaction.
There is a relationship between tourist involvement and tourist satisfaction.
2.3. Influence of Perceived Price Reasonableness on Tourist Satisfaction
In the contemporary economy, the price has significant importance in different industries, and hospitality or tourism is no exception. The appropriate price is an important factor for businesses’ success and customers’ satisfaction. Price reasonableness is an important factor not only in the buying decision but also in the evaluation of products or services by the customers [72]. “Perceived price reasonableness” is also cited in much of the tourism research as “willingness to pay.” Earlier studies on the aviation industry [73] and on the hospitality industry [7] reported the significance of perceived price and value on customers’ satisfaction. Tourists assess the value of the experience favorably when it meets their expectations and is comparable to the price they paid [34,54]. Some studies by researchers [74] show price perception as an antecedent of quality, whereas others show it to be the other way around [7]. The main references for determining the level of price acceptability are the tourists’ real tour experiences at a tourist location. Another study [41] stated that perceived price reasonableness has a significant influence on tourists’ satisfaction. Moreover, this study proposes the following hypothesis for the perceived price reasonableness and tourist satisfaction.
There is a relationship between perceived price reasonableness and tourist satisfaction.
2.4. Influence of Regenerative Tourism Involvement on Tourist Satisfaction
Regenerative tourism is concerned with how tourism can contribute to the sustainability, revival, and well-being of local communities. Regenerative tourism goes a step beyond sustainable tourism by giving priority to “giving back” and aids in the proactive regeneration of communities, cultures, heritage, locations, landscapes, and other factors [75]. The ability to transition from a “me” to a “we” approach, as well as to cultivate compassion, understanding, and cooperative action, is necessary for regenerative tourism [5]. The ability to shift from ego to eco, and from an individual attitude to a collective collaborative mindset is crucial on the path to developing a regenerative mindset. The five stages of consciousness proposed in the study [76] are helpful in explaining the development of consciousness. According to this study [76], each stage offers a fresh approach to resolving the conflict between a person’s need for independence and connectivity. Practitioners of the Global Initiative for Regenerative Tourism place a strong emphasis on changing one’s interactions with oneself, other people, and non-humans in order to increase the capacity of social and environmental systems. Research [49] shows that a person’s cognitive-effective judgments about their tourist experience are what determine their level of satisfaction.
Studies have found that tourists experienced a stronger association with nature and high personal satisfaction after participating in regenerative tourism activities [77]. The evaluation of the satisfaction level of individuals with the services and living environment is important for social sustainability and should be taken into account in any transformational process [78]. On the basis of the components of sustainable tourism development, numerous studies have examined the level of tourist satisfaction with various aspects of the tourist offer of the destination [79]. A number of studies have investigated the impact of regenerative tourism on stakeholders’ satisfaction [22,23,80,81]. According to other research [82], satisfaction is positively correlated with the degree of involvement in urban regeneration activities. An earlier study [22] shows that environmental cues from the regeneration stimulate positive feelings in visitors and increase their satisfaction and loyalty. In the light of existing literature, this study hypothesizes the following relationship between regenerative tourism involvement and tourists’ experience:
There is a relationship between regenerative tourism involvement and tourist satisfaction.
2.5. The Moderating Role of Destination Image in the Relationship between Tourist Experience Quality, Perceived Price Reasonableness, Regenerative Tourism Involvement, and Tourist Satisfaction
In the tourism industry, the destination image is considered to be a crucial variable for examining individual activities or behavior. A study [49] defined it as the image that is perceived as a depiction of the tourist destination in the mind of a tourist. The existing literature highlights the destination image in terms of tourists’ feelings/emotional attachment, knowledge, beliefs, impressions, and interactions relating to the targeted places and people [83,84,85]. As per another study [49], the destination image affects the expectations of the tourists and it is hypothesized that a more positive image of the destination increases the expectations, and that these expectations contribute to the post-experience satisfaction. A number of studies have explored the influence of destination image on tourist satisfaction [86,87,88]. Research [89] has stated that destination attractiveness and supporting industry attributes contribute to the motivation and satisfaction level of the tourists. According to a study [41], destination image can be derived from the tourists’ perceptions and experiences about the destination. The quality of the destination attributes in terms of perception and experience influences the destination image and motivates the revisit to the destination [36,83]. Additionally, the tourists’ satisfaction with a destination in monetary terms results in a positive destination image [90].
The literature highlights that the destination image has a significant impact on tourists’ perceptions, quality of experience, and satisfaction. However, the studies [41,91] also explored the moderating role of the image of the destination on other attributes of tourism, such as motivation, satisfaction, escapism, and so forth. A study [41] on an island destination concluded that islands’ image considerably moderates the relationship between tourists’ perceived price reasonableness, value, and satisfaction. They also reported that, in the case of island tourism, the involvement of the tourist in activities also has a significant effect, in addition to the island image. Hence, they concluded that there is a positive moderation effect of island destinations on price reasonableness and satisfaction, perceived value, and satisfaction. Numerous researchers have identified a positive effect of the destination image on regenerative tourism involvement [92]. Therefore, to examine this relationship, this study proposes the hypothesis below:
Destination image will moderate the relationship between tourist experience quality (escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, involvement), perceived price reasonableness, regenerative tourism involvement, and tourist satisfaction.
2.6. The Moderating Role of Destination Image in the Relationship between Tourist Experience Quality, Perceived Price Reasonableness, Regenerative Tourism Involvement and Tourist Satisfaction
Customers’ loyalty is highlighted through repeat purchases of a product or service due to the emotional behavior of the customer [93]. In the tourism industry, it is known as tourist destination loyalty when tourists revisit the destination, which is considered a primary success in the tourism and hospitality studies [28,90]. In the tourism-related literature, it is defined as the extent to which the tourist will recommend a destination to others [94] or will revisit the destination [27]. In the literature, several studies explored the relationship between a tourist’s satisfaction and tourist destination loyalty [28,41,95,96]. Various studies have tried to explain the effect of destination loyalty on involvement in regenerative activities [97,98]. These studies suggest that destination loyalty has a significant impact on the attributes of tourism, such as escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, involvement, perceived price reasonableness, and regenerative tourism involvement. Therefore, the study hypothesizes the following relationship between these variables:
Tourist destination loyalty will moderate the relationship between tourist experience quality (escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, involvement), perceived price reasonableness, regenerative tourism involvement, and tourist satisfaction.
Figure 1 below presents all the hypotheses and the conceptual model, which also includes the proposed mediation:
3. Methods
3.1. Measurement Development
In order to collect data for this study, a self-reported questionnaire was prepared with a seven-point Likert-type scale. The questionnaire was structured into two segments. The first part of the survey intended to collect data on demographic factors such as age, gender, education, and income. The second part included the measurement items. Quality of tourist experience variables (escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, and involvement) along with perceived price reasonableness, regenerative tourism involvement, tourist destination loyalty, destination image, and tourist satisfaction were measured using seven-point Likert scale (1 = extremely disagree; 7 = extremely agree). The measurement items were incorporated from earlier studies and minor rephrasing was done according to this study. The four variables of quality of tourist experience (escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, and engagement) were measured using ten items [17,18]. To test perceived price reasonableness, three measurement items were utilized from a previous study [99]. Five items were used to assess regenerative tourism involvement [6]. Eight items were used to measure tourist’s destination loyalty [100,101]. Four items with a seven-point semantic differential scale (e.g., good/bad, positive/negative, favorable/unfavorable, and like/don’t like) were used to measure destination image [102]. Three items were employed to gauge tourist satisfaction with their tour experience [66,103]. The measurement items used in the questionnaire are presented in the Appendix A (Table A1).
3.2. Data Collection Method
The self-administered questionnaire was circulated among tourists who visited the Ha’il region, Saudi Arabia, which was selected as a destination for data collection because it receives many tourists due to its abundance of stunning landscapes and vibrant culture. The Ha’il region contains a number of historical sites, ancient monuments, architectural marvels, and natural landscapes. Since 2006, the biggest car rally in Saudi Arabia has been held at Ha’il once a year, which is a major tourist attraction. In the recent Saudi Dakar Rally 2022 (44th edition), there were more than 650 participants who represented 70 countries from around the world [104]. The number of foreign tourists who visit Ha’il region is constantly increasing due to its outstanding status as a tourism hub. In order to achieve this, we chose the Ha’il region as the site for data collecting and investigated how visitors view their tour involvements as well as other important aspects. The survey was developed in Arabic and English in order to collect data from tourists from other countries. Because Arabic-speaking tourists from adjacent Gulf nations made up the greatest percentage of all foreign visitors to the Ha’il region, we chose to include the survey in Arabic. The survey was translated from English into Arabic. A translation-back-translation technique was utilized to accurately represent the measurement items’ original meanings [105]. Native Arabic speakers double-checked and back-translated the Arabic version. After completing the two versions of the questionnaire, tourists were conveniently approached at Ha’il International Airport during the “2022 Dakar car rally” as majority of International tourists visit Ha’il during this event. Exit surveys are appropriate to provide more precise information about the tourist experience, as demonstrated by a study on tourist expenditure [106]. Therefore, survey questionnaire was circulated among international tourists departing at Ha’il International Airport. These tourists were waiting in the departure zone to check in for flights back to their home countries. The purposes of this study were described to the tourists, and they were asked whether they agreed to take part in the survey. If they agreed, these tourists were provided with the questionnaire either in Arabic or in English based on their preference. In order to prevent them from having to rush through the survey in order to catch their flight, which would have compromised the quality of the data, these respondents were also asked if they had enough time to finish the survey. Around 600 survey questionnaires were distributed to the tourists. The data collection practice continued for three weeks in January 2022, which is considered to be the best season to visit the Ha’il region. The responses having repetition or missing data were deleted, and thus 273 surveys (45.5%) out of 600 remained for data analysis.
Saudi Arabia has always been the ultimate destination of religious tourism for Muslims from across the globe due to the presence of two holiest sites. Although millions of religious tourists (pilgrims) visit the kingdom every year, their visit remains confined to only three destinations (cities) vis-à-vis the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah and Jeddah (being the transit destination). Recently, the Saudi government has started to focus on non-religious tourism by promoting other places that have rich historical, archaeological, and cultural significance, as well as being developing centers for recreational tourism. Thus, it can be implied that non-religious tourism in Saudi Arabia is still in its infancy, as it will take a couple of years’ time to develop into a parallel destination for non-religious tourism. This has been the major reason that Ha’il region does not receive a very high number of international tourists, although this number is increasing gradually. A number of previous tourism researchers have also conducted studies with less than 300 respondents due to various limitations [107,108,109,110]. Thus, our sample size of 273 finds support in these previous studies. These 273 surveys were evaluated, and the findings of this analysis are discussed in the sections below.
4. Results
4.1. Sample Profile
Out of the total 273 surveys, 83.7% of the participants filled the survey in Arabic, whereas 16.3% of the respondents filled out the survey in English. The demographic detail of the respondents is presented in Table 1. In terms of gender, 78.6% of the respondents were male whereas 21.4% were female. In terms of age, the majority of the respondents were in their twenties (52.4%) and thirties (31.8%). All of them had a good education, with 83.7% of respondents having a college degree or higher. They represented diverse occupations, such as businessmen (32.6%), professionals (23.7%), private sector employees (18.6%), self-employed people (16.6%), and government employees (8.5%). The majority of the respondents (61% percent) had a monthly salary between US$4000 and US$5500. The majority of these tourists (61.5%) hailed from the Middle East, including the UAE, Egypt, and Qatar, followed by Morocco, the UK, and Malaysia. This nationality distribution of the tourists is aligned with the recent report on Saudi Arabia. [111]. Table 1 shows the demographic profile of the respondents:
4.2. Model Evaluations
This section discusses both the measurement and structural models.
4.3. Measurement Model
When assessing the model, the measurement model is used to validate the model as well as test its reliability. As per the thumb rule, outer loading must be 0.5 or higher, and the average variance extracted must be higher than 0.5 [112]. All the outer loading items less than 0.5 must be removed step by step, starting with the lowest value [113,114], as this helps to increase the data quality.
This study considered the two-step modeling method, which is most suitable for evaluating the quality of measurement items, as well as to determine the association among these models [115]. The structural model and measurement model comprise this two-step modeling method [113,114]. So, this research has direct and indirect effects due to including moderation which comprises the various relationship effects. This study employed partial least squares to assess the reliability and validity of the structural model in line with previous studies [114,116,117].
Prior to evaluating the convergent validity, this study evaluated loading and cross loadings of all variables items to find any item of concern, which serves as a pre-requisite for the measurement model which is shown in the Table 2.
Convergent validity is reached when all items have more than 0.5 factor loading and none of the loading of any item from other construct has loading higher than one [114,118]. In the present study, 30 items have their loading above 0.5, as can be seen in Table 2.
Table 3 below shows the values of the Cronbach Alpha, composite reliability, and average variance extracted (AVE) of each of the construct. The composite reliability of each construct must be accepted at at least 0.70 and AVE should be at least 0.50 [114,119]. As mentioned in Table 3 below, the reliability of all the constructs is high and their average variance extracted (AVE) is higher than the cutoff point of 0.50 which indicates the reliability of the measurement model. This research evaluated internal data consistency by measuring the Cronbach Alpha. To decide the alpha value, the rule is: “α > 0.9—Excellent, α < 0.8—Good, α < 0.7—Acceptable [120]. The results of this study as shown in Table 3 indicate that all constructs have greater than 0.5 value of the Cronbach Alpha. This shows that each of the variables has satisfactory consistency in this study.
The discriminant validity in this study shows the external consistency of the research model, which depends on the comparison between the latent variables, which is depicted in Table 4, according to which, the AVE of the constructs are: destination image (DTI) = 0.734; enjoyment (ENJ) = 0.763; escapism (ESC) = 0.883; involvement (INV) = 0.795; perceived price reasonableness (PPR) = 0.869; regenerative tourism involvement (RGT) = 0.716; relaxation (RLX) = 0.844; tourism loyalty (TRL) = 0.646; tourism satisfaction (TRS) = 0.831.
Figure 2 above shows the impact of all the constructs on tourist satisfaction, which is the dependent variable. The R square value obtained through the output of PLS denotes that every construct placed together has the tendency of affecting 41% of the variations in independent variable.
4.4. Structural Model
This section focuses on evaluating the structural model. The structural model focuses on relationship dependence in the model hypothesized for the study [113]. Structural model provides an analysis of the internal modeling of the direct association among the study constructs in PLS. The path coefficient is similar to the standardized beta coefficient in the regression analysis, where the significance is decided by evaluating the beta coefficient values of the regression along with the t-values [121]. Following the thumb rule [114], a higher than 1.64 t-value is accepted as significant, which helps to examine the proposed hypotheses.
The key aims of this study are firstly to examine the model and evaluate direct relations, and secondly to use the structural model to evaluate the hypothesized relationships between the constructs. In this study, we tested eight (8) hypotheses, which have direct relationships. Out of the eight (8), three (3) were supported and five (5) were not found to be supported. Figure 3 below explains the direct effect of each latent variable on the dependent variable.
Table 5 illustrates that all the hypotheses that have a p-value less than 0.05 are supported and that the hypotheses that have p-values higher than 0.05 are rejected. Figure 3 displays the t-values after bootstrapping. Thus, H3 are supported, whereas H1, H2, H4, H5, and H6 are not supported.
Table 5 and Figure 3 show the direct relationship between escapism and tourism satisfaction: the outcome proves statistically that the relationship is not supported (β = −0.133, t-value = 1.883, p > 0.05). This study hypothesized that escapism positively influences the tourism satisfaction. To confirm the result in line with earlier research, in terms of the relationship between escapism and tourist satisfaction, the result reveals that the social and demographic aspect has a negative influence on the satisfaction level of tourists in the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. It recommends that certain social psychographic aspects, such as tourism experience and perceived value, have equally contributed to negative tourist satisfaction, while the literature has given significant evidence in the context of the positive influence of escapism on tourist satisfaction [62,63].
Table 5 and Figure 3 show the direct relationship between relaxation and tourist satisfaction: the result proves statistically that the relationship is not supported (β = 0.073, t-value = 1.063, p > 0.05). This result is in contrast with earlier research [62,63]. This insignificant outcome is due to the lack of direct international flights to the Ha’il region, and higher fatigue and exertion due to the long journey to Ha’il.
Table 5 and Figure 3 shows the direct relationship between enjoyment and tourism satisfaction: the statistical findings support this relationship (β = 0.192, t-value = 2.169, p < 0.05). This result is in line with the previous findings [49,65]. This hypothesized relationship has a significant influence on tourism satisfaction in the context of the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. This result also validates that that higher the enjoyment is, the higher the tourism satisfaction is, as supported by previous research [49,65].
Table 5 and Figure 3 show the direct relationship between involvement and tourist satisfaction: the finding proves statistically that the relationship is not supported (β = 0.093, t-value = 1.247, p > 0.05). This study hypothesized that involvement positively influences tourist satisfaction. Meanwhile, the insignificant relationship of the finding defies previous studies [69,70,71]. It reveals that, before pursuing tourist activities, tourists also evaluate the risks related with each tourist activity, such as the physical and security risk, while security risks impact tourist satisfaction.
Table 5 and Figure 3 show the direct relationship between perceived price reasonableness and tourist satisfaction: the finding proves statistically that the relationship is not supported (β = −0.130, t-value = 1.929, p > 0.05). This hypothesized relationship indicated that price has a positive influence on tourist satisfaction in the context of the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. The finding reveals that price is the main reason for the dissatisfaction of the tourist. This indicates that there is a tourist resistance and unwillingness to opt for expensive tourist activities. In Saudi Arabia, especially in the Ha’il region, the tourists face language barriers and cultural differences while negotiating prices. In such situations, the higher the price is, the lower the perceived price reasonableness is.
Table 5 and Figure 3 show the direct relationship between regenerative tourism involvement and tourist satisfaction: the finding proves statistically that the relationship is not supported (β = 0.036, t-value = 0.770, p > 0.05). One likely explanation for the results is that visitors are international tourists who are in their twenties and thirties, have less awareness and are indifferent towards environmental sustainability.
Table 5 and Figure 3 show the direct relationship between tourist destination loyalty and tourist satisfaction: the statistical findings support this relationship (β = 0.241, t-value = 3.956, p < 0.05). The hypothesized relationship suggested a positive influence on tourist satisfaction in the context of the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. This result also validates the relationship that the greater the tourist destination loyalty is, the greater the tourist satisfaction is, which is also supported by previous research [41,95].
Table 5 and Figure 3 show the direct relation between destination image and tourist satisfaction: the statistical findings support this relationship (β = 0.358, t-value = 5.056, p < 0.05). This result validates the previous findings [41,49]. This hypothesized relationship has a significant influence on tourism satisfaction in the context of the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. This result also validates the relation that more attractive the destination image is, the higher the tourism satisfaction is.
4.5. The Moderating Effects
A moderation test, as suggested in previous research [122], was conducted to examine the moderator variable which influences the direction or strength of the association among the dependent and independent variables. In line with earlier studies, moderator variables were usually introduced when we find a weak or unpredictable relations among the dependent variable and independent variable. Hierarchal regression procedure is one of the techniques to test moderation effects which has three steps, but the weakness of this technique is that it uses functions, transforms, computes, and takes the product of each pair to manually evaluate interaction terms. Another method is to put the moderating variable as additional construct using the cross products of the indicator of the moderator and the independent variable [117]. In this study, after introducing the destination image (DTI) and tourist destination loyalty (TRL) perceived by the survey respondents in SmartPLS 3, we needed to create a direct relation between moderating variables (DTI & TRL) and the outcome variable (TRS). Because of this reason, both the moderating and direct effect ertr assessed to get a clear picture. To determine the moderating effect, the researchers obtained beta coefficients values by running the PLS algorithm, which are presented in Table 6 and Table 7. The bootstrapping method was employed to test the hypothesis that whether destination image and tourist destination loyalty moderate the relationship between (escapism ESC, relaxation RLX, enjoyment ENJ, involvement INV, perceived price reasonableness PPR, regenerative tourism involvement RGT), and tourism satisfaction (TRS). As shown in Table 6 and Table 7, out of twelve (12) moderating interactions, two hypotheses are significant at p < 0.5 and the other ten are insignificant at p < 0.5. Therefore, H7 and H8 are partially supported.
4.5.1. Moderating Effect of Destination Image
To examine the moderating role of destination image between the relationship between [escapism (ESC), relaxation (RLX), enjoyment (ENJ), involvement (INV), perceived price reasonableness (PPR), and regenerative tourism involvement (RGT)] and tourist satisfaction, this study has hypothesized H07. For moderator analysis of destination image, Table 6 shows that moderation exists in the relation between regenerative tourism involvement and satisfaction of tourist. Previous research has supported a positive effect of destination image on regenerative tourism involvement [92]. Moreover, the results of this study are validated by earlier studies [92] which leads to the partial acceptance of the hypothesis, that destination image moderates the relation between regenerative tourism involvement and tourist satisfaction. Hence, destination image was found to be a significant predictor of tourist satisfaction.
As shown in Table 6 and Figure 4, the other moderating effects of destination image on the relationship between quality of tourist experience (escapism ESC, relaxation RLX, enjoyment ENJ, involvement INV), perceived price reasonableness (PPR) and tourist satisfaction were found to be insignificant.
4.5.2. Moderating Effect of Tourist Destination Loyalty
To study the moderating role of tourist destination loyalty between the relationship of [escapism (ESC), relaxation (RLX), enjoyment (ENJ), involvement (INV), perceived price reasonableness (PPR), and regenerative tourism involvement (RGT)] with tourist satisfaction, this study proposed hypothesis H08. The finding shows that tourist destination loyalty significantly moderates the relationship of perceived price reasonableness and tourist satisfaction. In other words, tourist destination loyalty strengthens the relationship between perceived price reasonableness and tourist satisfaction. The findings of this research are validated by previous researchers [97]. This study discovers that respondents who are international tourists are conscious about the price and services offered at tourist destination.
As shown in Table 7 and Figure 5, the other moderating effects of tourist destination loyalty between [tourist experience quality (escapism ESC, relaxation RLX, enjoyment ENJ, involvement INV), regenerative tourism involvement (RGT)] and tourist satisfaction were found to be insignificant.
5. Discussion
The key aim of this study is to evaluate the moderating role of destination image (DTI) and tourist destination loyalty (TRL) on the relationship between [escapism (ESC), relaxation (RLX), enjoyment (ENJ), involvement (INV), perceived price reasonableness (PPR), and regenerative tourism involvement (RGT)] and tourism satisfaction in the context of tourism in the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. This study tested a total of 20 hypotheses and according to the research findings, empirical results indicated that out of 8 direct hypotheses, 3 were supported and 5 were not supported. Out of 12 moderating hypotheses, only 2 were supported whereas 10 were not supported. Thus, the findings of this study are partly inconsistent with those of preceding studies.
The moderating effects of destination image for relationship between quality of tourist experience (escapism ESC, relaxation RLX, enjoyment ENJ, involvement INV), perceived price reasonableness (PPR) and tourist satisfaction were found to be insignificant. The key reason behind these insignificant relationships is that young international tourists are more conscious about their tourist experience quality and price, because their perception about destination image is different in the context of the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the tourist expectation of destination image toward experience quality and price lead to insignificant results because they were more conscious about the price and their personal experiences toward the destination image. Due to this tourist trait, the effect of destination image on the relationship between the tourist experience and price and their satisfaction was found to be insignificant.
The moderating effects of tourist destination loyalty between tourist experience quality, regenerative tourism involvement, and tourist satisfaction were found to be insignificant. The plausible cause of the insignificant moderating effect is that international tourists coming to Saudi Arabia face various psychographic factors and cultural differences which may affect their tourist destination loyalty. Another reason is that most of the respondents in this research are in their twenties and thirties and their tourism expectations are very high which affects their tourist destination loyalty during their stay at the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia.
These results have significant implications for scholars and industry experts, as is discussed in the following two sections.
5.1. Theoretical Implications
The current study has several significant contributions to the research literature on tourism. This study adds to existing literature by observing the interactions of tourist experience quality variables (escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, involvement), perceived price reasonableness, regenerative tourism involvement with tourist satisfaction by taking into account the moderating effect of tourist destination loyalty and destination image. Studies have frequently examined the level of satisfaction of tourists as a whole without addressing the potential direct predictors and moderating variables [123]. In the current study, tourist experience quality, price reasonableness, and regenerative tourism involvement were identified as predictors of tourist satisfaction. Moreover, the destination image and tourist destination loyalty were identified as two important moderating variables in the relationship of tourist experience quality, price reasonableness, regenerative tourism involvement with tourist satisfaction.
This study presents a satisfaction-related perception of tourists that is based on experience and perception. By adopting the experiential approach of a landscape perception model [45,46,47], the tourist experience and the subsequent variables are constructed. This study applies the experiential approach and focuses on the quality of the tourist experience, which is made up of escapism, relaxation, enjoyment, and involvement, which projects tourists’ internalized opinions of the entire reciprocal relationships with tourists’ satisfaction. In contrast to the present research that indicated the significant impact of escapism and involvement on tourists’ satisfaction [41], these characteristics are not found to have a direct impact on tourist satisfaction in present study. On the other hand, this study demonstrates that the most important factors influencing tourist satisfaction are enjoyment, destination loyalty, and destination image. This study also makes an effort to recognize tourists’ purchase behavior by considering perceived price reasonableness.
The moderating effects of destination image on the relationship between quality of tourist experience (escapism ESC, relaxation RLX, enjoyment ENJ, involvement INV), perceived price reasonableness (PPR) and tourist satisfaction were found to be insignificant. The key reason behind these insignificant relationships is that young international tourists are more conscious about their tourist experience quality and price, because their perception about destination image is different in the context of the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the tourist expectation of destination image towards experience quality and price lead to the insignificant results because they are more conscious about price and their personal experiences towards the destination image. Due to this tourist trait, the effect of destination image on the relation among tourist experience and price with their satisfaction was found to be insignificant.
The moderating effects of tourist destination loyalty on the relationship between [tourist experience quality (escapism ESC, relaxation RLX, enjoyment ENJ, involvement INV), regenerative tourism involvement (RGT)] and tourist satisfaction were found to be insignificant. The plausible cause of the insignificant moderating effect is that international tourists coming to Saudi Arabia face various psychographic factors and cultural differences which may affect their tourist destination loyalty. Another reason is that most of the respondents in this research are in their twenties and thirties and their tourism expectations are very high which affects their tourist destination loyalty during their stay at the Ha’il region of Saudi Arabia.
Positive destination image has been found to influence tourist satisfaction. The findings of this study demonstrate a positive moderating impact of destination image which is manifested in the association between regenerative tourism involvement and satisfaction. Tourists’ satisfaction with the tour experiences can be enhanced when they believe that visiting a destination is a good deal and when they create a favorable destination image. Tourists’ positive destination image that they form while visiting a destination is crucial in order to support their generosity in evaluating value, price, and satisfaction levels.
Positive destination loyalty has been found to influence tourist satisfaction. The findings of this study demonstrate a positive moderating impact of destination loyalty which is manifested in the association between perceived price reasonableness and satisfaction. Similarly to this, visitors are satisfied with their tour experiences when they believe the price is acceptable and when they have a favorable destination loyalty. This demonstrates that travelers who have a strong sense of destination loyalty are more likely to be generous in their assessments of value and price reasonableness and are more likely to be satisfied with their tour experiences.
Theoretically, this study also utilizes the distinction between the country image and destination image of developing countries made by earlier studies [124,125,126] in order to link the tourist’s experience in developing countries more closely to the destination than the country. This allows a developing nation to have favorable perception of its particular tourism locations when it comes to the quality of the visitors’ experiences, regardless of what opinions the tourists may have of the nation as a whole.
5.2. Practical Implications
As the results suggest, local tourists consider revisiting the Ha’il region, primarily due to its historic significance and destination image in the eyes of tourists’. However, there are certain areas that require significant consideration. This study provides a number of useful implications for locals, tourism service providers, and tourism planners regarding Ha’il region tourism development at the individual and organizational levels. The public transportation schedules in the Ha’il region are not easily accessible, and the information is primarily only available in Arabic. The government and tour operators must offer more information on the available modes of transportation (such as buses, taxis, and rental cars) with good translation and attractive designs for catering to the requirements of foreign tourists. The tourism developers should promote activities that travelers consider to be unforgettable experiences at a tourist site in order to increase a favorable opinion of the destination experience value. Tour operators should provide a wide range of activity choices, not just those that focus on enjoying nature or outdoor activities but also those that incorporate historical knowledge, heuristic activities, and enjoyable tourism activities. The native culture of a tourism location should also be preserved, developed, and promoted by local groups and individuals working together. These diverse attractions can help visitors have great tour experience vacations and develop a strong sense of devotion to the tourist destination. It is assumed that the above-mentioned recommendations can help tourism authorities to tap on potential tourists to enhance tourism in the Ha’il region.
6. Limitations
Despite the fact that this study provides important insights into the growth of tourism, there are some limitations. To begin with, information was gathered from tourists at the Ha’il International Airport to get a sense of how they felt about the study’s key variables after having visited those locations. Thus, study data were obtained at convenience from tourists at the Ha’il Airport, and thus results are not generalizable to any other population of tourists. Second, rather than focusing on earlier impressions of the trip, this study is more interested in how travelers perceive the place based on their tour experiences. This prior exposure to the tourist destination could have had a positive or negative impact on the destination image. As a result, the impact of the destination image may change depending on the viewpoint. In order to identify differences based on gender, age, and education, further studies can also analyze socio-demographic characteristics of tourists.
7. Conclusions
This paper explores the effect of various aspects of quality of tourist experience, perceived price reasonableness, regenerative tourism involvement on satisfaction of tourist. On the basis of findings, this study adds significant academic insights to the literature on tourism by demonstrating how tourists’ perceptions are shaped by experiences of interactions within a destination. Additionally, this research contends that in order to convey the idea that a location offers great value and is worthy of the price paid, tourism managers and operators should involve tourists in the tour process. Additionally, the general public and communities, along with local governments, must collaborate to preserve a destination’s natural beauty and cultural heritage as well as to upgrade its infrastructure, such as its transportation systems. By creating a favorable image, the destination can encourage visitors to return by making them feel content with their trip experiences. We expect that this study will advance both tourism research and tourism industry growth.
Conceptualization, A.u.R., M.A. and S.K.; methodology, M.A.; formal analysis, A.u.R. and M.A.; investigation, A.u.R., M.A. and F.A.A.; data curation, M.A.; writing—original draft, F.A.A. and S.K.; writing—review & editing, A.u.R. and S.K.; visualization, A.u.R. and F.A.A.; project administration, A.u.R.; funding acquisition, A.u.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Data available on request due to privacy/ethical restrictions.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Footnotes
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Profile of respondents.
| Demographic Variables | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | Male | 78.60% |
| Female | 21.40% | |
| Age (years) | Below 20 | 1.80% |
| 20–29 | 52.40% | |
| 30–39 | 31.80% | |
| 40–49 | 11% | |
| 50–59 | 2% | |
| Over 60 | 1% | |
| Education | High school or lower | 3% |
| Diploma | 7% | |
| Undergraduate | 6.50% | |
| Graduate | 52.80% | |
| Postgraduate or higher | 30.70% | |
| Occupation | Businessmen | 32.60% |
| Professional | 23.70% | |
| Private sector employee | 18.60% | |
| Self-employed | 16.60% | |
| Government employees | 8.50% | |
| Monthly Income (US$) | Less than 2500 | 4% |
| 2501–4000 | 7% | |
| 4001–5500 | 61% | |
| 5501–7000 | 23% | |
| 7001 and higher | 5% | |
| Tourist’s Home Country | United Arab Emirates | 28% |
| Egypt | 21% | |
| Qatar | 12.50% | |
| Morocco | 11% | |
| United Kingdom | 9% | |
| Malaysia | 7% | |
| Others | 11.50% | |
Factor loading.
| Outer Loading | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTI | ENJ | ESC | INV | PPR | RGT | RLX | TRL | TRS | |
| DTI1 | 0.523 | ||||||||
| DTI2 | 0.784 | ||||||||
| DTI3 | 0.796 | ||||||||
| DTI4 | 0.797 | ||||||||
| ENJ1 | 0.807 | ||||||||
| ENJ2 | 0.739 | ||||||||
| ENJ3 | 0.742 | ||||||||
| ESC1 | 0.889 | ||||||||
| ESC2 | 0.877 | ||||||||
| INV1 | 0.871 | ||||||||
| INV2 | 0.712 | ||||||||
| INV3 | 0.795 | ||||||||
| PPR1 | 0.817 | ||||||||
| PPR2 | 0.918 | ||||||||
| RGT1 | 0.783 | ||||||||
| RGT2 | 0.750 | ||||||||
| RGT3 | 0.672 | ||||||||
| RGT5 | 0.649 | ||||||||
| RLX1 | 0.833 | ||||||||
| RLX2 | 0.855 | ||||||||
| TRL1 | 0.633 | ||||||||
| TRL2 | 0.617 | ||||||||
| TRL3 | 0.669 | ||||||||
| TRL4 | 0.676 | ||||||||
| TRL5 | 0.533 | ||||||||
| TRL6 | 0.673 | ||||||||
| TRL7 | 0.694 | ||||||||
| TRL8 | 0.663 | ||||||||
| TRS1 | 0.857 | ||||||||
| TRS2 | 0.805 | ||||||||
Convergent validity.
| Construct Reliability and Validity | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cronbach’s Alpha | Composite Reliability | Average Variance Extracted (AVE) | |
| DTI | 0.703 | 0.820 | 0.539 |
| ENJ | 0.649 | 0.807 | 0.583 |
| ESC | 0.718 | 0.876 | 0.780 |
| INV | 0.714 | 0.837 | 0.632 |
| PPR | 0.686 | 0.860 | 0.755 |
| RGT | 0.697 | 0.807 | 0.512 |
| RLX | 0.597 | 0.832 | 0.713 |
| TRL | 0.800 | 0.851 | 0.418 |
| TRS | 0.555 | 0.817 | 0.691 |
Discriminant validity.
| Discriminant Validity | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fornell-Larcker Criterion | |||||||||
| DTI | ENJ | ESC | INV | PPR | RGT | RLX | TRL | TRS | |
| DTI | 0.734 | ||||||||
| ENJ | 0.442 | 0.763 | |||||||
| ESC | 0.364 | 0.579 | 0.883 | ||||||
| INV | 0.416 | 0.695 | 0.578 | 0.795 | |||||
| PPR | 0.351 | 0.766 | 0.537 | 0.639 | 0.869 | ||||
| RGT | 0.390 | 0.193 | 0.163 | 0.122 | 0.153 | 0.716 | |||
| RLX | 0.402 | 0.655 | 0.720 | 0.592 | 0.562 | 0.162 | 0.844 | ||
| TRL | 0.645 | 0.381 | 0.313 | 0.367 | 0.330 | 0.367 | 0.357 | 0.646 | |
| TRS | 0.586 | 0.385 | 0.226 | 0.351 | 0.257 | 0.283 | 0.321 | 0.534 | 0.831 |
Direct hypothesis.
| Serial # | Hypothesized Paths | Path Coefficients | Standard Deviation (STDEV) | T Statistics (|O/STDEV|) | p-Values | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DTI → TRS | 0.358 | 0.071 | 5.056 | 0.000 * | Supportive |
| 2 | ENJ → TRS | 0.192 | 0.089 | 2.169 | 0.030 * | Supportive |
| 3 | ESC → TRS | −0.133 | 0.071 | 1.883 | 0.060 | Not supportive |
| 4 | INV → TRS | 0.093 | 0.074 | 1.247 | 0.212 | Not supportive |
| 5 | PPR → TRS | −0.130 | 0.068 | 1.929 | 0.054 | Not supportive |
| 6 | RGT → TRS | 0.036 | 0.047 | 0.770 | 0.441 | Not supportive |
| 7 | RLX → TRS | 0.073 | 0.069 | 1.063 | 0.288 | Not supportive |
| 8 | TRL → TRS | 0.241 | 0.061 | 3.956 | 0.000 * | Supportive |
* p < 0.05.
Moderating effects of DTI.
| Serial # | Hypothesized Paths | Path Coefficients | Standard Deviation (STDEV) | T Statistics (|O/STDEV|) | p-Values | Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moderating Effect 1 → TRS | 0.012 | 0.078 | 0.150 | 0.881 | Not supportive |
| 2 | Moderating Effect 2 → TRS | 0.043 | 0.061 | 0.715 | 0.475 | Not supportive |
| 3 | Moderating Effect 3 → TRS | 0.056 | 0.066 | 0.861 | 0.389 | Not supportive |
| 4 | Moderating Effect 4 → TRS | −0.070 | 0.079 | 0.889 | 0.374 | Not supportive |
| 5 | Moderating Effect 5 → TRS | −0.112 | 0.046 | 2.417 | 0.016 * | Supportive |
| 6 | Moderating Effect 6 → TRS | 0.008 | 0.067 | 0.120 | 0.905 | Not supportive |
* p < 0.05.
Moderating effects of TRL.
| Serial # | Hypothesized Paths | Path Coefficients | Standard Deviation (STDEV) | T Statistics (|O/STDEV|) | p-Values | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moderating Effect 1 → TRS | 0.028 | 0.078 | 0.357 | 0.721 | Not supportive |
| 2 | Moderating Effect 2 → TRS | 0.103 | 0.055 | 1.868 | 0.062 | Not supportive |
| 3 | Moderating Effect 3 → TRS | −0.060 | 0.056 | 1.077 | 0.281 | Not supportive |
| 4 | Moderating Effect 4 → TRS | −0.019 | 0.072 | 0.259 | 0.796 | Not supportive |
| 5 | Moderating Effect 5 → TRS | −0.139 | 0.046 | 3.000 | 0.003 * | Supportive |
| 6 | Moderating Effect 6 → TRS | −0.028 | 0.067 | 0.412 | 0.681 | Not supportive |
* p < 0.05.
Appendix A
Measurement Items.
| Variables | Question | |
|---|---|---|
| During My Visit to Ha’il Region, I Felt | ||
|
that I had escaped from everyday life | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| that I could forget everyday problems. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
physically comfortable | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| relaxed | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
that I was doing something I really liked to do | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| that I was doing something memorable | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| that I was having fun | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
that I was involved in the process | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| that there was an element of choice in the process. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| that I had some control over the outcome | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
I think the prices at Ha’il destination are reasonable. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| The price for the tour at Ha’il region is appropriate. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| Overall, the price charged at Ha’il region is inexpensive. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
I take care of natural, social, and cultural environment of places I visit | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| I respect monuments of the places I visit | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I try to learn about culture and tradition of places I visit | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I buy products crafted by local people from places I visit | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I get engaged in host culture and tradition of places I visit | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
My overall evaluation of Ha’il region is positive. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| My overall assessment of this tour experience is favorable. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I am satisfied with this tourism experience | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
I will say positive things about this destination. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) |
| I will tell other people about this place. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I will speak about the good experiences on this trip to other people. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I intend to revisit this destination in the future. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| It is very likely that I will come back to this place in the future. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I am willing to return to this destination in the future. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| It is acceptable to pay for traveling to this destination. | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
| I am willing to spend at this place (e.g., shopping, attending recreational activities/events). | Strongly Disagree–Strongly Agree (7 point Likert) | |
|
According to your experience on Ha’il region, how would you describe the image of |
Very Bad–Very Good (7 point Likert) |
| According to your experience on Ha’il region, how would you describe the image of |
Very Negative–Very Positive (7 point Likert) | |
| According to your experience on Ha’il region, how would you describe the image of |
Very unfavorable–Very favorable (7 point Likert) | |
| According to your experience on Ha’il region, how would you describe the image of |
Don’t like at all–Like very much (7 point Likert) |
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; Abbas, Mazhar 1 ; Faraz Ahmad Abbasi 1 ; Khan, Shoaib 2
1 Department of Management and Information system, College of Business Administration, University of Hail, Hail 2440, Saudi Arabia
2 Department of Economics and Finance, College of Business Administration, University of Hail, Hail 2440, Saudi Arabia