Document Type : Research Article
Authors
Department of Business Management, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
The issue of the relationship between the perceived value and the loyalty of tourists is an important aspect of the issues in the field of tourism today. Therefore, understanding and knowing about this relationship leads to improving the willingness of tourists to visit a tourist center, especially in today's competitive and complex market. So far, many researches with different communities and statistical samples have investigated the impact of perceived value and loyalty of tourists. Therefore, a research vacuum that examines all these studies simultaneously is felt. The present research has sought to investigate the size of the effect of perceived value on tourists' loyalty by systematically reviewing the research conducted in Iran. First, by reviewing specialized journals, databases and Google, related researches were identified, collected and evaluated, and as a result, out of 552 articles, only 9 studies were found to have the necessary criteria to enter the meta-analysis. The results obtained from data analysis using CMA2 software showed the absence of publication bias. Also, the relationship between perceived value and loyalty of tourists was positive and the effect size was equal to 0.552. In other words, the direction of changes in perceived value variables and tourists' loyalty are aligned
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Today, most countries are looking for the development of the tourism industry to achieve the many benefits of this industry. In order to gain a competitive advantage, we must better understand the customers of this industry, i.e., tourists. Perceived value, the consumer's evaluation of received services and products, is one factor affecting loyalty in research. Identifying the concept of perceived value and how to increase it can play a decisive role in attracting tourists. Also, one topic that is very important from managers' point of view today is customer loyalty. A loyal customer repeatedly referring to a favorite organization as a double factor in promoting the organization's services through recommendations and orders to relatives, friends, or other people, plays an essential role in improving the profitability and the organization's image in the mind of potential customers. Paying attention to the loyalty of tourists in any tourist destination is one of the essential issues that should be taken into account because, in today's competitive world, the first trip to a tourist destination can determine the success of that tourist destination in the long run. Loyalty to tourism destinations and factors affecting them play a significant role in their long-term success. Loyalty refers to a strong commitment to repurchase a superior product or service in the future, such that the same brand or product is purchased despite competitors' influence and potential marketing efforts. Therefore, companies should always monitor and take care of the interaction between themselves and their customers, and by knowing and understanding the needs and values of customers, they should provide valuable goods and services to them to create loyalty and gain satisfaction from them in such a way that prevents them from changing their direction to other companies. In Iran, many studies have been conducted concerning tourists' perceived value and loyalty, and it is necessary to examine these studies with a comprehensive approach. Therefore, the most crucial goal of the present meta-analysis is to combine and accumulate the results and scientific and practical findings of the studies conducted on the relationship between perceived value and tourists' loyalty.
Methodology
The research method of this research is meta-analysis. In the meta-analysis method, the researcher prepares them for powerful statistical methods by recording the characteristics and findings of a mass of studies in the form of general concepts. This research is one of the few due to the meta-analysis method. The statistical population of this research includes all the studies conducted in the field of perceived value and loyalty of tourists inside the country. In this research, databases related to the research subject have been used to collect information related to the literature and research background. Also, coding forms have been used to collect information related to the research objectives. In this way, first, in order to obtain the available data in the field of perceived value and loyalty of tourists in Iran, the databases available in Iran were referred to, and the initial list of studies was prepared. In the next step, the studies that had the necessary criteria to enter the meta-analysis sample were coded.
The entry criteria considered for this study were as follows:
1- The study has been published in Persian language;
2- The review article does not have quantitative indicators;
3- In the article, there should be a correlation between the perceived value and the loyalty of tourists;
4- The relationship between the perceived value and the loyalty of tourists should have a correlation index or an index that can be converted into a correlation;
5- The study should be non-repetitive.
Results and discussion
The analysis of the final nine studies included in the meta-analysis showed that the overall effect size of perceived value on tourists' loyalty was 0.552, which is a positive number. So it can be concluded that perceived value positively correlates with tourists' loyalty in the conducted studies. Also, the study of Taheri Timuri and Ghanezadeh (2021) with 0.750 had the highest effect size, and the study of Hemmati and Zahrani (2015) with 0.250 had the lowest effect size.
Conclusion
In this research, in order to measure the effect size of the perceived value and the loyalty of tourists, the correlation index was used as a basis. Therefore, 552 studies conducted in the field of perceived value and loyalty of tourists were collected, and finally, 9 articles that could enter the meta-analysis were selected. Data dissemination bias was investigated using funnel plot methods and safe N test, and the results showed the absence of data dissemination bias. In the next step, the homogeneity and heterogeneity of the effect size of the perceived value and tourists' loyalty were investigated using the Q test and the I2 index. The results showed the heterogeneity of the effect size of the perceived value and tourists' loyalty. And to investigate the significance of the effect size of perceived value on tourists' loyalty, random effects model was used. The results showed that in studies conducted in Iran, perceived value positively correlates with tourists' loyalty. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the perceived value and improve it to increase tourists' loyalty. Below are some practical suggestions to improve the loyalty of tourists based on the perceived value component:
- To increase the perceived value, a balance should be established between the services received and the cost paid by the tourist;
- Increasing the security of tourists in tourist areas improves the perceived value of tourists;
- Providing tourism services at reasonable prices and preventing irregular price increases;
- Improving the quality of tourism facilities and welfare services;
- Whenever the tourist decides to visit the tourist center, it should be available and accessible;
- Managers of tourism areas should create other places in their tourism center in addition to the main center which is the destination for tourists to visit and create variety in their tourism centers.
Funding
There is no funding support.
Authors’ Contribution
All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.
Keywords
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