Evaluation of Factors Affecting the Loyalty of Local-Cultural Events Tourists in Ramsar Tourism Destination

Events have been increasingly considered as an important parts and production of tourism and it is also regarded as the solution for rejuvenation of tourism destination and attraction of tourists. In the same vein, recognizing the process through which an event could play significant role in the tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty is vital. This research aims to identify and evaluate the role of factors affecting the tourists’ loyalty for local-cultural events in Ramsar tourism destination. The research was applied and descriptive, in terms of correlation based on structural equation modeling according to partial least squares method. Population of study consisted of Iranian tourists visiting the local-cultural events in Ramsar. The sample size was 400 people and the method of Sampling was the simple random. Data were collected through a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS25 and SmartPLS2 software packages. Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed through content validity and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha (0.889). The confirmatory factor analysis was used to ensure the reliability of the measurement models. The goodness of fit for the model was equal to (GOF= 0.364) which indicated a great validity of the research model. Based on findings, except for first hypothesis (impact of authenticity of events on quality), eighth hypothesis (impact of quality of events on value) and eleventh hypothesis (impact of quality of events on trust), other hypothesises were confirmed. It was determined that the relevant variables play an important role in loyalty to local-cultural events of Ramsar destination. According to the analysis, the results and suggestions were presented.