An Investigation of a Loyalty Typology and the Multidestination Loyalty of International Travelers

Conceptualization and measurement of loyalty based on behavioral and attitudinal dimensions have resulted in a loyalty typology including four levels: high, latent, spurious, and low. This study investigates the usefulness of this typology for international tourist destination behavior with respect to behavioral (actual visit and intentional loyalty) and attitudinal (cognition and affect) dimensions. This study also extends previous loyalty research in travel and tourism by taking multidestination loyalty into consideration. The results revealed four distinct loyalty levels: high loyalty, latent loyalty, and low loyalty, which included two distinct levels (natural switchers and experiential switchers), whereas the spurious loyalty group was not supported. The findings provide implications for conceptualizing destination loyalty in terms of multidestination loyalty and international travel behavior. The distinct behavioral and attitudinal characteristics of four loyalty types coupled with demographic and information source differences provide important practical implications of segmentation and communication strategy for international tourist destinations.