Evaluation Of Determinants Of Tourism Destinations Competitiveness On Customer Loyality: A Case Of Kisumu Impala And Crescent Island Game Sanctuaries

Abstract

Destination management is focusing on developing attraction plan within tourism sector. Customer loyalty is increased by factors that determine a tourist destination's competitiveness. “ The study's objective is to evaluate how elements that influence a tourism destination's competitiveness impact customer loyalty. According to the survey, many Kenyan tourist destinations are silent when it comes to domestic travel because of a lack of customer loyalty. The specific objectives were to evaluate the effects of destination attractiveness, calculate the impact of destination management, identify the moderating role of sanctuary situational conditions, and ascertain the impact of support variables. The study would be useful to the management of tourism destinations. This study made use of Michael Porter's concept of competitive advantage. The study used a descriptive research design. The target population consisted of 466 individuals from the two sanctuaries, Kisumu Impala and Crescent Island. The study's sample size consisted of 233 respondents from well known tourist destinations.233 responses from Assistant Warden II, Sergeant Education Warden, Customer Care Officers, Supervisors, Animal Goalkeepers, Tour Guides, Rangers, Cage Attendants, Research Scientists, and Corporal Discipline Officers were chosen using stratified sampling approaches. A structured research questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument. The validity of the research instruments was evaluated using the supervisor's and relevant research experts' viewpoints. The pilot research at the Oserengoni Wildlife Sanctuary employed 23 questionnaires. The reliability of research instruments was evaluated using Cronbach alpha coefficients. Descriptive statistics including percentage, mean, minimum, maximum, and standard deviations, regression, and model summary were used to analyse the data. Figures and tables were used to display the results. The study's conclusions were important to academics, policymakers, tourism destination managers, and researchers who would use them to add pertinent information for future research. According to the study, destination management has an impact on tourism appeal. The marketing of tourist sites should raise consumer awareness during vacations, and destination development should be improved in response to visitor needs. In order to ensure effective communication, planning, and development with an emphasis on the destination's distinctiveness, domestic tourists must be engaged through social networks. ” In order to improve the performance of Kenyan tourist locations, more research on destination management should be conducted.