Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesion
Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationships between religious tourism motivation (RTM), tourist perceived value (TPV), social cohesion (SC), life satisfaction (LS), and fear induced by COVID-19 (FC). The focus was on understanding how these factors interacted during the Dongshan Welcomes...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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International Hellenic University
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing |
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| Online Access: | https://zenodo.org/records/13777906/files/10-1-8.pdf?download=1 |
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| author | Shang-Pao Yeh Tai-Ying Chiang Jia-Hao Zhong Shih-Shuo Yeh |
| author_facet | Shang-Pao Yeh Tai-Ying Chiang Jia-Hao Zhong Shih-Shuo Yeh |
| author_sort | Shang-Pao Yeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationships between religious tourism motivation (RTM), tourist perceived value (TPV), social cohesion (SC), life satisfaction (LS), and fear induced by COVID-19 (FC). The focus was on understanding how these factors interacted during the Dongshan Welcomes the Buddha parade, particularly in the context of the ongoing pandemic. Dongshan is a small town in Tainan, Taiwan.
Methods: Data collection with a snowball sample occurred from 23-12-2023, to 10-1-2024, yielding 304 responses. The survey assessed participant experiences and adaptations during the modified event. The relationships among RTM, TPV, SC, LS, and FC were analyzed using quantitative methods, with particular attention to the direct and indirect effects of RTM on TPV and SC, and their subsequent impact on LS.
Results: RTM significantly enhances TPV and SC directly and indirectly through TPV, positively influencing both SC and LS, with SC also positively contributing to LS. Interestingly, while fear negatively impacts LS, it does not significantly moderate the relationships between TPV and LS, nor SC and LS. This suggests that the direct and indirect effects of RTM and TPV are robust, even in the presence of pandemic-induced fear.
Implications: This study makes several theoretical and practical contributions religious tourism. It confirms the significant role of RTM in enhancing perceived value and social cohesion, and it establishes the importance of perceived value in fostering social cohesion and life satisfaction. Moreover, it highlights the resilience of these relationships despite external disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer valuable insights for managers and organizers of religious tourism events, emphasizing the need to enhance participant motivation and perceived value to boost social cohesion and life satisfaction, even amidst external challenges. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d7dbb5af9e64084abc92f76df2a58ec |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2529-1947 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-06-01 |
| publisher | International Hellenic University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d7dbb5af9e64084abc92f76df2a58ec2025-08-20T03:32:04ZengInternational Hellenic UniversityJournal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing2529-19472024-06-01101798910.5281/zenodo.13777906Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesionShang-Pao Yeh 0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0083-6951Tai-Ying Chiang 1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5999-3663Jia-Hao Zhong 2https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7073-7671Shih-Shuo Yeh 3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4267-8851National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and TourismChienkuo Technology UniversityNational Chiayi UniversityNational Cheng Kung UniversityPurpose: This study aimed to explore the relationships between religious tourism motivation (RTM), tourist perceived value (TPV), social cohesion (SC), life satisfaction (LS), and fear induced by COVID-19 (FC). The focus was on understanding how these factors interacted during the Dongshan Welcomes the Buddha parade, particularly in the context of the ongoing pandemic. Dongshan is a small town in Tainan, Taiwan. Methods: Data collection with a snowball sample occurred from 23-12-2023, to 10-1-2024, yielding 304 responses. The survey assessed participant experiences and adaptations during the modified event. The relationships among RTM, TPV, SC, LS, and FC were analyzed using quantitative methods, with particular attention to the direct and indirect effects of RTM on TPV and SC, and their subsequent impact on LS. Results: RTM significantly enhances TPV and SC directly and indirectly through TPV, positively influencing both SC and LS, with SC also positively contributing to LS. Interestingly, while fear negatively impacts LS, it does not significantly moderate the relationships between TPV and LS, nor SC and LS. This suggests that the direct and indirect effects of RTM and TPV are robust, even in the presence of pandemic-induced fear. Implications: This study makes several theoretical and practical contributions religious tourism. It confirms the significant role of RTM in enhancing perceived value and social cohesion, and it establishes the importance of perceived value in fostering social cohesion and life satisfaction. Moreover, it highlights the resilience of these relationships despite external disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings offer valuable insights for managers and organizers of religious tourism events, emphasizing the need to enhance participant motivation and perceived value to boost social cohesion and life satisfaction, even amidst external challenges.https://zenodo.org/records/13777906/files/10-1-8.pdf?download=1religious tourismreligious tourism motivationtourist perceived valuesocial cohesionlife satisfactionfear |
| spellingShingle | Shang-Pao Yeh Tai-Ying Chiang Jia-Hao Zhong Shih-Shuo Yeh Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesion Journal of Tourism, Heritage & Services Marketing religious tourism religious tourism motivation tourist perceived value social cohesion life satisfaction fear |
| title | Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesion |
| title_full | Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesion |
| title_fullStr | Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesion |
| title_short | Religious tourism and life satisfaction: the role of motivation, perceived value and social cohesion |
| title_sort | religious tourism and life satisfaction the role of motivation perceived value and social cohesion |
| topic | religious tourism religious tourism motivation tourist perceived value social cohesion life satisfaction fear |
| url | https://zenodo.org/records/13777906/files/10-1-8.pdf?download=1 |
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