A Model for Studying the Effect of Tourist Image on Satisfaction and Loyalty at World Heritage Sites: A Case Study of the City of Córdoba (Spain)
Jesús Claudio Pérez-Galvez, Jaime José Orts-Cardador, Gema María Gómez-Casero, Carol Angélica Jara-Alba
Keywords:
motivation, destination image, satisfaction, loyalty, WHS, heritage tourism
Abstract:
Córdoba, recognised as a cultural hub with four UNESCO World Heritage declarations, possesses a rich heritage that makes it an important subject for studying its image as a tourist destination based on tourists’ perceptions. This research aims to enhance the scientific literature on the affective and cognitive images of World Heritage Sites (WHSs), and to this end, the relationship between visitors' previous experiences and their tourist motivations and their perceived image of their destination was analysed, as well as its influence on tourist satisfaction and loyalty. For this purpose, a structured questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of tourists who visited the city of Córdoba during the period between December 2023 and November 2024, with a total of 712 responses being received. Based on the theoretical foundations provided by the academic literature, a structural model is proposed and validated that identifies observable and latent variables involved in the formation of the destination image. The model fitted the data well, attending to both incremental and absolute fit measures (χ2/df = 3.311; CFI = 0.925; TLI= 0.916; GFI = 0.990; RMSEA = 0.057; and SRMR = 0.059) The findings show that both tourist motivations and previous visits to a destination have a significant impact on the construction of its tourist image, which in turn affects visitor satisfaction and loyalty levels. Bootstrapping analysis demonstrates the role of satisfaction as a mediating variable between destination image and loyalty. However, the mediation is partial, as there is a statistically significant direct effect between destination image and loyalty. These results have important implications for public and private tourism managers, as they suggest strategies aimed at strengthening the image of the city of Córdoba as a heritage tourist destination. The study is in line with the journal's editorial objectives in contributing to knowledge that can be applied to improving the competitiveness of heritage destinations, such as the city of Córdoba, and its findings can be extrapolated to similar tourist destinations.
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 A Model for Studying the Effect of Tourist Image on Satisfaction and Loyalty at World Heritage Sites: A Case Study of the City of Córdoba (Spain) [PDF file] [Filesize: 759.22 KB]
 10.7441/joc.2026.03.10
Pérez-Gálvez, J. C., Orts-Cardador, J. J., Gómez-Casero, G. M., & Jara-Alba, C. A. (2026). A model for studying the effect of tourist image on satisfaction and loyalty at World Heritage Sites: A case study of the city of Córdoba (Spain). Journal of Competitiveness, 18(3), 285–322. https://doi.org/10.7441/joc.2026.03.10
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