Using the RPM Model to Explore the Impact of Organic Agritourism Destination Fascination on Loyalty—The Mediating Roles of Place Attachment and Pro-Environmental Behavior

Abstract

Maintaining the sustainable development of fascinating resources in Taiwan’s Hualien and Taitung (Huatung) regions is the basis of organic agritourism. Loyalty not only represents tourists’ commitment to return and recommend but also serves as a goal for destination development. The purpose of this study is to propose and examine the effect of destination fascination on loyalty through a conceptualized Reasonable Person Model (RPM), mediated by place attachment and pro-environmental behaviors. SPSS21 and the linear structure relationship model (LISREL) were used as data analysis tools in this study. A total of 500 valid online questionnaires were collected through snowballing and convenience sampling. The data analysis results revealed that destination fascination has a positive and significant impact on loyalty through place attachment and pro-environmental behavior. Another finding is that place dependence, place identity, and pro-environmental behavior all have mediating effects, with place identity being the main mediating variable. The contributions of this study are mainly reflected in examining the application of RPM in fascination and loyalty, as well as providing practical suggestions for destination fascination and place identity.

Keywords

• fascination
• destination
• place attachment
• pro-environmental behavior
• reasonable person model (RPM)