An examination of the moderating effects in the group travel satisfaction-loyalty relationship

As the growth in the group-travel tourism format by travel consumers continues to emerge as an important segment in tourism, understanding what drives group-travel behaviour has recently been subject to empirical examination. However, the issue of moderator variables within the determination of on-going group-travel behaviour (i.e. loyalty) has yet to be studied. This article fills that void by analysing the moderating effects of fourteen selected individual and situational group-travel characteristics using a sample of 424 group-travel customers to major, large-scale events. The results of PLS multigroup causal analysis suggest that these moderators exert an influence on the development of the group-travel satisfaction → loyalty sequence. Specifically, homophily, group-travel duration, enduring event involvement and event category are found to be important moderators within this link. Limitations of the study are outlined, and implications for both research and managerial practice are discussed