A study of the relationship among experience value, destination image and place attachment

Holbrook and Hirschman (1982) suggest that consuming experiences are derived from consumersʹ perceived value. This type of consumers depends on sensations, emotions and enjoyments to form their experiences. Hence, consumersʹ destination image and place attachment determine their destination choice. The aim of this study is to understand the relationships between experience values, destination image and place attachment. The image of the business circle inside Kenting national park is always controversial. However, the study of the relationships between the image of the business circle and visitorsʹ recognition are scarce if not non-existed, which prompted this study. The study used convenient sampling method to survey the visitors inside the business circle of Kenting national park, which yield 418 valid responses. The finding suggests that: (1) consumer return on investment, service excellence and aesthetic value are the experience values that contribute most to the formation of destination image, especially consumerʹs return on investment (ROI), (2) product image, perceived facility quality and price image are the destination images that contribute most to the formation of place attachment, and (3) consumerʹs ROI, service quality, aesthetic value and playfulness value are the experience values that contribute most to the formation of place attachment, especially the playfulness value.