Jurnal Siasat Bisnis Vol.26 No.

2, 2022, 222-234

Journal homepage: https://www.journal.uii.ac.id/jsb

The effect of destination attractiveness on destination

attachment and its impact on tourist sustainable behavior
Sri Astuti Pratminingsih1, Ahmad Johan2, Imanirrahma Salsabil3
1Universitas Widyatama, Bandung, Indonesia
2Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Administrasi Bandung, Bandung, Indonesia
3Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Article Info Abstract

Article history: Purpose – In gaining competitive advantage in the tourism context,
Received : 2021-12-22 Bandung City needs a good marketing strategy. This study aims to
Accepted : 2022-01-07 determine the influence of destination attractiveness on destination
Published: 2022-07-06 attachment and its impact on tourist sustainable behavior in Bandung,
West Java.
JEL Classification Code:
Z33, M31, Z32 Design/methodology/approach – This study used a descriptive
verification approach. The number of samples is 151 tourists who were
Author’s email: randomly selected using incidental techniques. The data analysis is
[email protected] carried out using SEM with Amos 22 software. The data were collected
[email protected] through questionnaire, notes and publication, and literature study.
DOI: 10.20885/jsb.vol26.iss2.art8 Findings – The results of this study indicate that the attraction given
by a destination directly influences tourists to make return visits. Desti-
nation attractiveness has an influence on destination attachment. This
study also found that the mediating effect of the tourist destination
attachment on the relationship between destination attractiveness and
sustainable behavior is very small.
Research limitations/implications – Future research is suggested to
consider other variables that are able to mediate the influence of tourist
attraction on return visits or sustainable behavior.
Practical implications – As destination attractiveness positively
affects sustainable behavior of tourist, this study provides insight for
the government of Bandung city to make a good marketing strategy in
order to create a competitive advantage in their destination.
Originality/value – This study answers to the suggestion from previ-
ous studies to identify and examine the mediators relevant to the
attitude-behavior relationship in the context of tourism research.
Keywords: Destination attractiveness, destination attachment,
sustainable behavior

Introduction
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries, and it makes the best contribution to a country’s
economic development (Asbollah et al., 2017). The economic benefits of tourism encourage a
country and local communities to promote various types of tourism such as nature, culture, and
heritage tourism to revitalize the local economy. A good tourist attraction can provide a positive
opinion, especially for both local and foreign tourists to visit a tourist destination (Kirilenko et al.,
2019). Currently, the competition between tourist destinations to compete for market share is
getting fiercer. Regarding this, destination management seeks to understand how people choose
destinations for travel and why people prefer one destination over other similar places (Chen &
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Jurnal Siasat Bisnis Vol. 26 No. 2, 2022, 222-234 | 223

Huang, 2018). Ngwira & Kankhuni (2018) stated that sometimes tourists narrow their choices
when making decisions among alternative choices. The increasing competition to attract tourists
has given rise to various destination marketing strategies (Ram et al., 2016). It usually involves
promoting a beautiful environment, a unique show, or other events of interest to a particular
target market. Tourist destinations are usually planned and managed as a way to attract tourists.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the tourism industry
generates annual world income of more than 5.5% of the world economy. This shows that the
tourism sector is one of the factors that drive the economy quite high. In addition, the tourism
sector can also encourage the development of MSMEs in the region (Prayag & Ryan, 2012). Ac-
cording to the WTO, the growth of the tourism sector will grow by an average of 4/1% per year,
with the largest growth in Asian region, including Indonesia (Ramkinssoon et al., 2012). Based on
WTO data, the economy in the Asian region, especially Indonesia, will be strongly influenced by
the tourism sector. This is certainly an opportunity for the local government to seek attention
through the development and utilization of national tourism potential so as to increase the num-
ber of visits. According to Rozak (2012), the most important characteristic for tourist is the
attractiveness caused by differences from other cities, places, or countries. Lee (2012) mentioned
that the attraction of interest to tourist include natural beauty, culture, and climate. These three
factors become destination attachment that represent an individual’s emotional attachment to a
geographic area and have been investigated for their dimensions, effects, and influences on
tourists’ perceptions of the environmental and social conditions encountered on their trips.
According to Reitsamer et al. (2016), tourism has an attraction and perception of a
destination that is used as a tourism destination attachment. The term tourist destination
attachment is anything that attracts people to visit a certain area. Bandung is one of the tourist
attractions in Indonesia, and also the capital city of West Java Province, which is one of the main
tourism destinations. According to Wulandari et al. (2019), Bandung is in the top third place to
be visited after Yogyakarta, which is also a main destination for tourists. According to the Central
Statistics Agency of Bandung City, the number of tourists from both domestic and foreign
tourists from the last three years are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. Number of tourists who visited Bandung

Year Number of Tourists
2018 7.377.496
2019 7.842.464
2020 5.726.422
Source: Central Statistics Agency of Bandung (2020)

Based on Table 1, when it is viewed from 2018 to 2019, the number of tourists who
visited Bandung City has increased, but it decreased in 2020. This is due to the government’s
policy of implementing social restrictions as a means of preventing the spread of Covid-19 and
the weakness of the tourism sector in facilitating tourists. According to Ervina & Oktaviany
(2019), the destination attractiveness factor can be measured from the behavior of tourists who
are functionally related. Furthermore, in terms of destination attachment factors, it is measured
by the facilities that make tourists have the intention to revisit the destination.
Based on the background explained, this study attempts to determine the influence of
destination attractiveness on destination attachment and its impact on tourism sustainable
behavior. This study contributes to the enrichment of tourism sustainable behavior literature by
answering to the suggestion from previous studies (Passafaro, 2020) to examine and identify the
mediators relevant to the attitude-behavior relationship in the context of tourism research.

Literature Review and Hypotheses

Destination Attractiveness
Destination attractiveness is a perceived attractiveness of a destination which provide satisfaction
224 | The effect of destination attractiveness on destination attachment …

and benefits for tourists (Kirilenko et al., 2019). Vengesayi et al. (2009) defined destination as a
country, region, or city that is marketed as a place for tourists to visit (Hai & Thuong, 2019). Xu
et al. (2020) also emphasized that attraction is the initial motivation for tourists to choose a
destination according to their interests and preferences. Attractiveness is an important perception
of tourists when they participate in tourism activities (Kwon et al., 2017). The attractiveness of a
destination will have an impact on economic development, regional performance, and sustainable
economic development (Emir et al., 2016). Destination attractiveness is generally measured by
core attributes and additional attributes. Core attributes refer to a unique natural or cultural
resource, which includes history, music, folklore, and special events. Augmented attributes
indicate functional characteristics, including transportation, narrative services, infrastructure, and
environmental services (Kong et al., 2020).

Tourist Sustainable Behavior

Cheng et al. (2013) defined sustainable behavior as the desire of an individual to take an action
again. Casado-Diaz et al. (2020) provided the criteria using the definition of sustainable tourists as
those who: (1) agree with a code of conduct that recommends how they as visitors should
behave, (2) appreciate that their activities have an impact on the environment and adapt their
actions, and (3) want to make an economic contribution to the region’s economy by buying local
products such as food and crafts (Safshekan et al., 2020). The literature on sustainable tourism
from the perspective of consumption or tourist behavior has developed in the last decade. Most
studies focus on visitor attitudes and revisit intentions. The tourist behavior literature can be
grouped into four categories. The first one investigates the attitude of tourists, such as the
attitudes that are influenced by the environment in an area. The second studies tourist behavior
and the factors that influence it, such as eco-friendly tourists. The third one examines how tourist
behavior has an impact on the economy of a region, the environment, and local culture.
According to Chen et al. (2014), the behavior displayed by tourists during holidays has important
consequences for the welfare of the local communities. The fourth proposes steps to study
sustainable tourist behavior, which tourists are attracted to and want to revisit. Chi et al. (2020)
recommended to build a good regional image by providing various facilities to influence tourist
behavioral intentions.

Destination Attachment
According to Wang et al. (2020), the concept of destination attachment is originated from the
study of geography, and then from the study of environmental psychology. A destination can be
tangible and intangible. Over time, the meaning and value of destination is given by society and
individuals who are presented in individuals, groups, and cultures (Reitsamer et al., 2016).
Destination attachment is a process that is built to generate attraction for tourists to visit. A
destination also connects individuals with the environment, generates identification, satisfaction,
and attention to a unique field, as well as connects perceptions that can be used as a tourist
choice (Veasna et al., 2013). Therefore, many cities use destination attachment to explore tourists,
or emotional attachment and recreational behavior to attract tourists.
Japutra (2020) stated that destination attachment can be measured using two constructs:
destination identification and destination dependence (Chubchwong & Speece, 2016).
Destination identification shows important substructures regarding the identity and
characteristics of a location. Simply put, destination identification is a psychological feeling and
affective and symbolic meaning created through the accumulated experience of a region. By
making repeated visits, tourists will have a relationship or attachment to certain destinations.
According to Turki & Amara (2017), destination dependence also reflects how well the location
facilitates the tourists’ activities who make a visit. Thus, destination attachment and the
importance of a place can affect individual functional goals (Jee et al., 2019).
Jurnal Siasat Bisnis Vol. 26 No. 2, 2022, 222-234 | 225

Hypotheses Development
Destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior
Tourist sustainable behavior can be understood as a set of actions performed by tourists to
contribute to the social, natural, or built tourism destination and reduce aggressive behavior
towards the destination (Pilli et al., 2015). When visiting tourism destinations, tourist with
sustainable behavior will tend to be aware about the importance of the destination, commit to
give positive contributions for the destinations, and show actions that aims to protect the
destinations for both present and future visitors of the destination (Alazaizeh et al., 2019). Several
studies have used different terms for tourist sustainable behavior, namely tourist pro-
environmental behavior, tourist environmentally responsible behavior, and tourist eco-friendly
behavior (Mobley et al., 2010; Park & Ha, 2012).
A number of scholars have found the relationship between destination attractiveness and
tourist sustainable behavior. Cheng et al. (2013) conducted a study on island tourism in Taiwan
and found that when tourists perceive that the attractiveness of the destination they visited is
good, they will have more concerns about the environmental issues and commit to actions with
the least impact on the natural environment. Similarly, the findings from Zeidenitz et al. (2007)
indicate that a destination attractiveness can act as a significant predictor for tourists to behave
ecologically in addition to sustain the destination. Mohammed et al. (2018) have also proven that
destination attractiveness positively influences environmentally responsible behavior of tourists,
in their research on Marine Parks in Malaysia. Therefore, based on this explanation, the
hypothesis proposed is:
H1: Destination attractiveness has a positive influence on tourist sustainable behavior.

Destination attractiveness and destination attachment

Destination attractiveness has four key factors, namely accessibility, amenities and infrastructure,
scenery, and local community, which all have the potential to drive tourists to come visit and
spend time at a destination (Henkel et al., 2006). Reitsamer et al. (2016) suggested that destination
attractiveness plays a role as a precondition for tourist attachment formation. The four key
factors of destination attractiveness act to encourage tourist attachment towards a destination.
Furthermore, Japutra (2020) found in his study that destination attractiveness has an influence on
destination attachment.
Xu & Zhang (2016) conducted two studies for both domestic and Western tourists who
visited China and found that destination attractiveness can affect destination attachment. It can
occur because destination attractiveness reflects various functional attributes, thus it can have an
impact on the settings in which tourists process and assimilate the knowledge from the
destination attractions (Hou et al., 2005). Other scholars also proposed and found the positive
relationship between destination attractiveness and destination attachment (Reitsamer et al., 2016;
Hou et al., 2005; Song, 2017; Xu & Zhang, 2016; Cheng et al., 2013). Therefore, based on this
explanation, the hypothesis proposed is:
H2: Destination attractiveness has a positive influence on destination attachment.

Destination attachment and tourist sustainable behavior

Destination attachment is the positive emotional bond perceived by an individual to a specific
place (Manzo, 2003). Some people might be attached to a destination because of the close social
ties or other factors, while some others are attached because of the physical aspects of the
destination (Lewicka, 2011). Several studies have considered the importance of destination
attachment in predicting the behaviors aimed at protecting the environment (Vaske & Kobrin,
2001; Buonincontri et al., 2017, Tonge et al., 2015).
Cheng et al. (2013) also conducted a study in this issue and found that the higher level of
destination attachment can lead to higher intention of tourists to practice responsible
environmental behaviors. Their study also found that destination attachment acts as a mediator in
the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior. In addition,
226 | The effect of destination attractiveness on destination attachment …

Ramkissoon et al. (2013) proved that all dimensions of destination attachment, which include
place identity, place affect, place dependence, and place social bonding, have a positive influence
on pro-environmental behaviors. The findings from Tonge et al. (2015; Vaske & Kobrin, 2001;
Buonincontri et al. 2017) also prove that destination attachment has a positive influence on
tourist sustainable behavior. Therefore, based on this explanation, the hypothesis proposed are as
follows:
H3: Destination attachment has a positive influence on sustainable behavior.
H4: Destination attractiveness has an indirect influence on tourist sustainable behavior through
destination attachment.

Figure 1. The Relationship between Destination Attractiveness, Destination Attachment, and

Tourist Sustainable Behavior
Research Methods
This study uses quantitative approach with descriptive verificative research type. It explains and
describes the phenomenon based on data that has been collected and examine or prove a theory
or studies that has been done before (Charnes et al., 1997). The samples in this study are tourists
in Bandung City, with the number of samples of 121 respondents. The samples are taken using
incidental technique, which is a random sampling with the assumption that there is a match. The
surveys were distributed at both weekends and weekdays in order to get larger group of
respondents. The targeted respondents are both domestic and foreign tourists (aged 18-50 years)
who visited Bandung. From 135 questionnaires that are distributed, 121 questionnaires are
completely filled, thus can be used for further data analysis. The data analysis is carried out using
SEM with Amos 22 software.

Results and Discussion

The characteristics in this study can be seen in Table 1.

Table 2. Respondents Profile

Respondent Profile Amount Percentage
Gender Male 97 80%
Female 24 20%
Age < 30 years old 25 17%
31 - 40 years old 83 73%
> 40 years old 13 10%
Country of Origin Indonesia 93 77%
Foreign Country 28 23%
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Based on the data of respondent profile, the majority of tourists are male, which is as
many as 97 respondents (80.7%). Based on age, 73% of the respondents are 31-40 years old,
namely 83 respondents. Based on country, most of the tourists come from Indonesia, but from
outside Bandung, with the number of 93 tourists.

Validity and Reliability

Table 3. Validity Test
Destination Destination Tourist Sustainable
Construct
Attractiveness Attachment Behavior
Destination Attractiveness 0,7804
Destination Attachment 0,349 0,7395
Tourist Sustainability Behavior 0,332 0,495 0,7848
Source: Processed data 2021

From the results of the tests that have been carried out, it can be seen that the square root value
of AVE is greater than the correlation value between constructs. This shows that each variable is
valid. For reliability testing, Cronbach's Alpha (α) was calculated using the SPSS version 23
program, with test results > 0.70. From the results of this test, the values obtained by Cronbach's
Alpha, Construct reliability and Average Variance Extracted meet the critical values, so that this
data can be said to be reliable.

Table 7. Reliability Test

Latent Variable Item Standard Loading Cα CR AVE
ma3 0.52
ma4 0.69
Destination
sa1 0.50 0.860 0.861 0.609
Attractiveness
sa2 0.61
sa3 0.50
di3 0.63
Destination dd1 0.53
0,790 0,796 0,547
Attachment dd2 0.54
dd4 0.61
ub2 0.56
ub3 0.67
Tourist Sustainable
ub4 0.54 0,801 0,819 0,616
Behavior
sb2 0.60
sb3 0.59
Source: Processed Data, 2021

Measurement Model
The data analysis is carried out using Amos 22 software. One of the outputs that is expected
from this measurement model is to obtain information regarding the validity and reliability of the
indicator in each variable, as well as the correlation that occurs between variables. The result of
the measurement model test is presented in Figure 2.
From the analysis results of the measurement model using Amos 22, it is obtained 5
indicators from destination attractiveness variable that are valid and reliable, namely ma3, ma4,
sa1, sa2, and sa3. Furthermore, there are 4 indicators obtained from destination attachment
variable that are valid and reliable, namely di1, dd1, dd2, and dd4. Finally, there are 5 indicators
obtained from tourist sustainable behavior that are valid and reliable, namely ub 2, ub 3, ub 4, sb
2, and sb3. All of the indicators have the loading factor value of ≥0.5, which means that all
indicators are valid.
228 | The effect of destination attractiveness on destination attachment …

Figure 2. Results of Measurement Model

The validity and reliability value of each latent variable is presented in Table 3.

Table 3. The Value of Loading Factor, Construct Reliability, and Variance Extraction in each
Latent Variable
Dimension
Indicator TA DA SB Details
Bandung is famous for its natural scenery ma3 0.52
The weather in Bandung is cool and comfortable ma4 0.69
Accommodation and restaurants in Bandung are well-
sa1 0.50
available
The infrastructure (road, internet, hospitals) in
sa2 0.61
Bandung is well-available
Public transportation in Bandung is well-available sa3 0.50
For me, Bandung reflects myself well. di3 0.63 Valid
Traveling to Bandung is better than other cities. dd1 0.53 Valid
I don’t want to replace a trip to Bandung with a trip
dd2 0.54 Valid
with a trip to another place.
I enjoy traveling to Bandung more than other cities. dd4 0.61 Valid
I read information about pollution in Bandung ub2 0.56 Valid
I will discuss with various parties about environmental
ub3 0.67 Valid
pollution in Bandung
I will convince various parties to protect the
ub4 0.54 Valid
environment in Bandung
I will follow the official regulations to stop
sb2 0.60 Valid
environmental destruction.
When I see trash on the street, I will pick it up sb3 0.59 Valid
Construct Reliability (CR) 0.70 0.70 0.70
Reliable
Average Variance Extract (VE) 0.50 0.50 0.50

In Table 3, it can be seen that all indicators have the loading factor value of ≥0.5, thus it
can be interpreted that all indicators are valid. The three variables formed from each indicator are
also shown to be reliable because it has the CR value of ≥0.7 and AVE value of ≥0.5, thus it can
be said to be reliable (Hair et al., 2014). Table 4 below shows the correlation size that occurs
Jurnal Siasat Bisnis Vol. 26 No. 2, 2022, 222-234 | 229

between destination attractiveness, destination attachment, and tourist sustainable behavior

variable.

Table 4. Correlation Size in each Latent Variable

Correlation
Destination attractiveness ↔ Destination Attachment .293
Destination attractiveness ↔ Sustainable Behavior .584
Destination Attachment ↔ Sustainable Behavior .387

Structural Model
The data analysis is carried out using Amos 22 software. One of the outputs that is expected
from this measurement model is to obtain information regarding the validity and reliability of the
indicator in each variable, as well as the correlation that occurs between variables. The result of
the measurement model test is presented in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Results of Structural Model

The fit of the model is indicated by the statistical value of Goodness of Fit (GoF) as
presented in Table 5.

Table 5. Statistical Value of Goodness of Fit

No GoF Criteria Limit Value Results Conclusion
1 p-value of X =95.509 df=74
2 ≥ 0,05 0,047 Fit
2 GFI ≥ 0,90 0,912 Fit
3 AGFI ≥ 0,90 0,875 Not Fit
4 CFI ≥ 0,90 0,938 Fit
5 RMSEA ≤ 0,08 0,044 Fit

The results of the model fit test from several criteria such as X2, GFI, AGFI, CFI, and
RMSEA mostly met the fit criteria (see Table 5). It can be seen that all of the existing GoF
statistical criteria has meet the criteria of the fit model. Therefore, the model for each latent
variable is compatible with the existing data. The results of hypothesis testing on each structural
relationship are shown in Table 6.
230 | The effect of destination attractiveness on destination attachment …

Table 6. Results of Structural Model Test

Model Estimate S.E. C.R. P-Value Conclusion
H1 SB  TA 0,515 .135 3.236 .001 Significant
H2 DA  TA 0,293 .150 2.211 .027 Significant
H3 SB  DA 0,237 .093 1.897 .058 Not Significant
H4 SB  TA (Through DA) 0,582

Discussion
Based on the results in Table 6, it can be seen that the direct influence of destination
attractiveness on tourist sustainable behavior is 0.515 with a standard error of 0.135. The t-
statistics value is 3.236 (>1.96) and the p-value is 0.001 < 0.05. Therefore, it is proven that
destination attractiveness has a positive and significant influence on tourist sustainable behavior,
thus hypothesis 1 is accepted. This shows that the attraction given by a destination directly
influences tourists to make return visits. The advantages of a city that has the attractiveness of a
destination can become the competitive advantage for the region, especially in the Bandung City.
The attractiveness of a tourism destination is also very important in attracting tourists to visit and
has a positive impact on the economic progress. This results also support the previous studies
from Xu et al. (2020; Cheng et al. 2013; Mohammed et al. 2018) who stated that the
attractiveness of a tourism destination affects tourist sustainable behavior.
This study has shown that destination attractiveness is significantly important in affecting
tourist sustainable behavior. Destination attractiveness is a perceived attractiveness of a
destination which provide satisfaction and benefits for tourists (Kirilenko et al., 2019). This
suggests that when the tourists perceive that the destination attractiveness is good, the tourists
are more likely to show sustainable behavior. They realize that their activities to visit a destination
has an impact on the environment, thus they will adapt their actions accordingly. In addition,
when the tourists consider a destination as attractive, they will also want to make an economic
contribution to the local economy where the destination exists. This supports the statement from
Emir and Bayer (2016) who stated that when a destination is considered attractive, it will have a
positive impact towards the economic and regional development, performance, and sustainability.
Based on the results in Table 6, it can be seen that the direct influence of destination
attractiveness on destination attachment is 0.293 with a standard error of 0.150. The t-statistics
value is 2.211 (>1.96) and the p-value is 0.027 < 0.05. Therefore, it is proven that destination
attractiveness has a positive and significant influence on destination attachment, thus hypothesis
2 is accepted. This study strengthens the results from Japutra (2020) who found that the concept
of destination attractiveness is closely related to destination attachment. In addition, Wang et al.
(2020) also stated that tourist attraction is very influential on the attachment of a destination. The
results also support the study from Reitsamer et al. (2016; Hou et al. 2005; Song, 2017; Xu &
Zhang, 2016; Cheng et al. 2013).
It can be interpreted that the tourists who become the respondents in this study perceive
that Bandung has a destination attractiveness in the context of its scenery, weather, infrastructure,
restaurants, and public transportation. This finding suggests that enhancing the attractiveness of a
destination is highly important to drive destination attachment of the tourists. Destination
attractiveness is considered as the first necessary precondition to enhance tourist destination
attachment (Reitsamer et al., 2016). Therefore, this makes the tourists who visited Bandung become
attached to that destination and have positive psychological feeling and affection to the city.
Based on the results in Table 6, it can be seen that the direct influence of destination
attachment on tourist sustainability behavior is 0.237 with a standard error of 0.093. The t-
statistics value is 1.897 (<1.96) and the p-value is 0.058 > 0.05. Therefore, it is proven that
destination attachment does not have a positive and significant influence on tourist sustainability
behavior, thus hypothesis 3 is rejected. This study rejects the results found by Ram et al. (2016;
Vaske & Kobrin, 2001; Buonincontri et al., 2017, Tonge et al., 2015) who found that destination
attachment has an influence on tourist sustainability behavior.
The results from previous studies have shown that destination attachment may be caused
Jurnal Siasat Bisnis Vol. 26 No. 2, 2022, 222-234 | 231

by close social ties or other social factors, or it may be caused by the physical aspect of the
destination (Lewicka, 2011). However, the results in this study indicate that destination
attachment is not a significant predictor for behaviors aimed at protecting the environment.
Therefore, in this study, although the tourists who visited Bandung already felt an emotional
attachment to the city as tourism destination, it does not mean that they have concerns for
Bandung regarding the environmental issue. According the results of this study, the destination
attachment also does not guarantee that the tourists will make a return visit to Bandung.
Based on the results of structural model test in Table 6, it can be seen that there is an
additional mediating role of destination attachment on the relationship between destination
attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior of 0.293 x 0.237 = 0.069 (6.9%). This indicates
that the mediating role of destination attachment is very small, thus it can be a suggestion for
future researchers to consider other variables that possibly can be a mediator for the relationship
between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior.
This study supports the results from Cheng et al. (2013), who also proved the mediating
role of destination attachment in the influence of destination attractiveness and tourist
sustainable behavior. In this regard, when tourists perceive a destination as attractive, they will
gain respect and affection for that destination. Consequently, after they develop attachment in
the form of dependence and affection towards the destination, the tourists will become interested
and have concern to the environment, thus enabling them to perform a sustainable behavior.

Conclusion
This study attempts to understand the influence of destination attractiveness on destination
attachment and its effect on tourist sustainable behavior. The results indicate that destination
attractiveness has an influence on both destination attachment and tourist sustainable behavior.
However, it does not find any influence of destination attachment on tourist sustainability
behavior. The mediating role of destination attachment in the relationship between destination
attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior only has a small influence. From the results of this
study, it is known that destination attractiveness plays a crucial role and acts as a precondition for
tourists to have enhanced destination attachment. When tourists perceive that a destination is
attractive, it would enable them to grow an attachment towards the destination, thus predicting
their sustainable behavior towards the destination.

Theoretical Implication and Managerial Implication

This study provides theoretical implication by contributing to the enrichment of tourism
sustainable behavior literature. This study answers to the suggestion from previous studies to
examine and identify the mediators relevant to the attitude-behavior relationship in the context of
tourism research. It raises the need for scholars to consider tourist sustainable behavior as an
aspect that have an important role in tourism. Destination attraction plays an important role to
enhance destination attachment, hence promoting tourist sustainable behavior. This model also
emphasizes that destination attachment has a mediating effect on the relationship between
destination attraction and tourist sustainable behavior.
In gaining competitive advantage in the tourism context, Bandung City needs a good
marketing strategy. By increasing the ability of a destination to be better, tourists are expected to
make return visits. However, the ability owned by a destination must be closely related with the
resources owned by the destination. In this study, the managerial implication provided is that the
government in Bandung City should make sure that Bandung truly have the aspects to become a
tourist attraction. Both the government and tourists who visit Bandung should also realize the
importance of tourist sustainable behavior; not only regarding return visits, but also the concern
towards the environment.

Future Research Direction

The data of this study can be considered to be too general; as it does not limit the study to certain
232 | The effect of destination attractiveness on destination attachment …

tourist attraction such as cultural heritage, parks, conservation areas, or others. Future research
could test the relationship between variables in this study in different settings. This is because a
different tourism destination can have different implications and perception from the tourists’
point of view. Furthermore, future research can consider other variables that can mediate, or
even moderate, the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable
behavior to help a tourism destination in gaining their competitive advantage.

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