Tourist Attribution and the Moderating Role of Loyalty

This study conceptualizes a three-dimensional model of tourist attributional process which explains how tourists account for negative experiences. The three dimensions are locus (internal vs. external), stability (stable vs. unstable), and globality (global vs. specific). Each of them mediates the relationship between negative tourism experience and satisfaction. The model suggests that tourist attribution to internal, unstable, and specific factors leads to higher levels of overall satisfaction after negative experiences. Furthermore, the model posits that loyalty is a variable that moderates tourists' negative experiences on their attribution. The relationships conceptualized in the model illustrate that the same destination experience can lead to different levels of satisfaction. In particular, a negative experience does not necessarily result in a lower level of satisfaction.