The Relationship between Sustainable Management and Brand Loyalty in Online Travel Platforms: Focusing on the Mediating Role of Perceived Value

Purpose: Previous research on sustainable management has largely focused on corporate-level outcomes, often neglecting how such practices influence consumer behavior in digital service contexts. Particularly in online travel platforms, the mechanisms through which sustainability impacts customer loyalty remain underexplored. This study aims to examine how economic, social, and environmental responsibilities affect consumers’ perceived value and brand loyalty. It further investigates the mediating role of perceived value, addressing the need f or a model that connects sustainable practices with consumer loyalty in technology-based tourism services. Research design, data, and methodology: An online survey was administered to users with recent experience using online travel platforms. Sustainable management was measured across economic, social, and environmental dimensions, along with perceived value and brand loyalty. A total of 260 valid responses were collected. To verify the measurement model and test the hypothesized relationships, confirmatory f actor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS and AMOS to ensure analytical rigor and statistical reliability. Results: The results are as follows. First, economic and social responsibility had a significant and positive influence on both perceived value and brand loyalty. Second, environmental responsibility did not directly affect brand loyalty, but had an indirect effect through perceived value. Third, perceived value played a meaningful mediating role between sustainable management practices and brand loyalty, reinforcing its role as a cognitive link between firm actions and consumer loyalty behavior. Implications: This study contributes to theory by empirically validating the differentiated impacts of sustainable management components on consumer behavior. Practically, it suggests that online travel platforms should prioritize transparent pricing and community-oriented practices to enhance brand loyalty. Since environmental responsibility influences loyalty only indirectly through perceived value, platforms should design strategies that reinforce long-term value perception through consistent communication and user experience enhancements that promote environmental awareness and trust.