Factors Influencing the Quality of Life and Behavioural Intentions of Heritage Tourists in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Tourism has emerged as a critical industry in Saudi Arabia, particularly with the recent implementation of the Vision 2030 ‘roadmap’ to diversify the country’s income. This has led to the creation of plans, policies, and related entities designed to attract tourists at both the domestic and international levels. Heritage tourism is especially important since each region in Saudi Arabia possesses its own unique tangible and intangible heritage resources. These different regions provide a variety of heritage tourism experiences. Previous research has identified the role that behavioural intention plays in tourists’ decisions to visit a destination. Understanding tourists’ behaviour is crucial since it helps government entities and businesses to predict tourist demand for a destination. Previous studies have also confirmed that tourists’ behavioural intentions vary according to different factors, including cultural background, nationality, age, and gender. Therefore, understanding the role of these factors on tourist behaviour helps government entities develop effective marketing plans at local, national, and international levels. However, only a few research studies have examined the association between tourist motivations (push and pull factors), experience quality, perceived value, place attachment, quality of life, and behavioural intention. Therefore, this research sought to address this gap in the literature by developing a conceptual framework to investigate the relationships among motivation (push and pull factors), experience quality, perceived value, place attachment, quality of life, and behavioural intention in the context of domestic heritage tourism in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, this study aimed to understand the differences in perceptions associated with these constructs across two groups: Saudi and non-Saudi. This represents an original perspective of heritage tourism in Saudi Arabia. Means end theory was determined to be the most appropriate for examining the model developed in this study and to achieve the research objectives. A quantitative approach was adopted using a survey-based method for collecting data. The survey questionnaire was distributed in two heritage destinations, AlUla and Diriyah, to domestic heritage tourists and visitors in both destinations. A variety of statistical techniques were used to examine the 11 hypotheses developed in this study. These techniques were descriptive analysis, Chi-square testing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), a two-stage structural equation modelling (SEM) approach, and multigroup analysis (MGA). ii Only a limited number of research studies have been conducted in the area of quality of life in heritage tourism. This study makes several contributions to address this gap. The findings of this research confirmed significant relationships for all hypotheses, with the exception of two (the association between pull factors and experience quality, and the association between perceived value and quality of life). This research also addressed the different perceptions of motivation, experience quality, perceived value, place attachment, quality of life, and behavioural intention between two groups: Saudis and non-Saudis. The findings confirmed that only four hypotheses were found to be significant when comparing the two tourist groups. This study addresses identified gaps in the research. It contributesto both the literature and the industry by providing a deeper understanding of heritage tourists’ motivations, experience quality, perceived value, place attachment, quality of life, and behavioural intention in Saudi Arabia. This research has the potential to advance the investigation, especially in the area of quality of life and tourism in developing countries. It also provides insightful information on the characteristics of domestic heritage tourists in Saudi Arabia, which can help decision-makers and planners develop tourism products and services. The framework in this research has been empirically examined and provides a solid foundation for conducting further empirical research. This thesis concludes with some proposed future research directions in related areas of interest. It also offers some suggestions for practitioners and decision-makers in the tourism industry to enable them to develop more effective strategies and boost tourism in Saudi Arabia.