Relationships among Relationship Benefit, Relationship Proneness and Loyalty: Comparison between First-Time and Repeat Agritourists

One essence of agritourism management is the activity experiences and interactions of tourist and service provider, however, few studies empirically examine the formation of agritourist' loyalty from the perspective of the relationship of the tourist with the service provider. The purpose of this study is to compare first-time and repeat tourists' determinants of relationship benefits, and relationship proneness on their loyalty to service providers in the context of agritourism. The proposed structural relationships among relationship benefits, relationship proneness, and loyalty are examined with a sample of 406 on-site tourists. The results indicate that relationship benefits has a positive impact on loyalty for both first-time and repeat tourists. Additionally, relationship proneness has a positive impact on loyalty only for repeat tourists. The conclusions of this study are that relationship benefits are important determinants on tourist loyalty, and that repeat tourists are more likely to emphasize on the social relationship with the service provider than first-time tourists. It is postulated that loyalty to service providers is more likely formed from psychological attachment for repeat tourists than for first-time tourists.