Sustainable Tourism Policy and Digital Service Quality: Antecedents of Tourist Satisfaction and Revisit Intention in Pakistan

Abstract

This study focused on the relationships between sustainable tourism policy, quality of digital services, tourist satisfaction and revisit intention for the big tourist destinations in Pakistan. A cross-sectional research approach with descriptive design was used and data was collected from 185 domestic and international tourists who have visited Murree, Hunza, Skardu, Swat, Naran-Kaghan, and Islamabad by purposive sampling. The respondents were people who had first-hand experience on the services of tourism and digital platforms such as online booking systems, tourism websites, mobile applications, digital payment facilities, or online customer-support services. A semi-structured questionnaire consisting of previously validated items on a Likert scale was employed and the data collected were analysed by SPSS and SmartPLS using partial least squares, structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The measurement model showed satisfactory reliability and validity as all constructs achieved good levels of Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability and average variance extracted. The results of the structural model showed that sustainable tourism policy had a significant and positive influence on tourist satisfaction (β = 0.312, p < .001) and digital service quality had a significant and positive effect on tourist satisfaction (β = 0.398, p < .001), while sustainable tourism policy and digital service quality had a significant and positive effect on revisit intention (β = 0.457, p < .001). The results of the bootstrapping with 5,000 resampling confirmed that the relationship between both sustainable tourism policy and digital service quality with revisit intention was partially mediated by tourist satisfaction. Model's predictive relevance (Q² > 0) was acceptable for both tourist satisfaction (48.7%) and revisit intention (51.2%). The results highlight the combined significance of environmental responsibility in destination management and excellent digital service provision in creating tourist experience and fostering loyalty for Pakistan's tourist destinations. Theoretical and managerial implications of the findings for destination management organizations (DMOs) and policy makers are explored, as are limitations and research directions.

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