The Impact of Service Quality and Motivation Factors on Foreign Tourist Satisfaction and Loyalty in Istanbul

Abstract

In order to investigate how service quality and motivational variables affect destination loyalty through satisfaction, this study looks at survey responses from 413 tourists. A variety of statistical techniques were used such as bootstrapping, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and one-way ANOVA. The results indicate that pull-type motivational factors, along with the five dimensions of service quality—tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy—significantly enhance tourist satisfaction. In contrast, push-type motivation shows no significant direct effect. Additionally, tourist satisfaction was found to fully mediate the relationship between the independent variables and destination loyalty. Different perceptions of service quality, motivation, satisfaction, and loyalty were observed across demographic groups. Overall, the study underscores the practical importance of understanding tourists’ perspectives to improve service delivery and align destinations more closely with tourist expectations.