Title: Understanding the role of ecotourism motivational factors on revisit intention: a multi-mediation approach

Authors: Prosenjit Ghosh; Srijib Shankar Jha

Addresses: Faculty of Management Studies, Marwadi University, Rajkot, 360003, Gujarat, India ' School of Management & Liberal Arts, IMS Unison University, Dehradun, 248009, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract: In recent years, ecotourism has become increasingly popular among tourists in India. The study seeks to empirically examine tourist revisit intention to ecotourism destinations. In this study, a comprehensive multi-mediation model was utilised to understand the impact of ecotourism motivational factors on tourist revisit intention using Trust and Satisfaction as mediators. The ecotourism motivational factors comprise the destination image, perceived quality, and perceived value. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 472 Indian domestic tourists. The hypotheses were evaluated using covariance-based structure equation modelling approach. The outcomes showed that the ecotourism motivational factors positively influenced tourist revisit intention to ecotourism destinations. The trust and satisfaction of tourists in ecotourism destinations mediate the impact of ecotourism motivational factors on tourist revisit intention. This study shed light on the domain of ecotourism motivational factors in Sundarbans, which was not previously explored. Thus, this study provides an understanding of the motivations for tourists' intention to revisit ecotourism destinations.

Keywords: tourists revisit intention; ecotourism motivational factors; ecotourism destination; satisfaction; trust; multi-mediated model.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2026.151870

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2026 Vol.16 No.1, pp.56 - 76

Received: 04 Aug 2024
Accepted: 08 Apr 2025
Published online: 24 Feb 2026 *

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