DEVELOPING A CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK OF EXPERIENTIAL TOURISM
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Abstract
In the current era of tourism, destinations are increasingly chosen for the experiences they offer rather than just services. However, crafting high-quality, memorable experiences is challenging because the concept is abstract and multidimensional. This study aims to develop a confirmatory factor analysis framework for experiential tourism. A qualitative meta-analytic approach was employed, reviewing and synthesizing relevant literature to identify key experiential components. Five core dimensions of experiential tourism emerged from the analysis: Local Experience, Memorable Experience, Learning Experience, Participation Experience, and Feeling Experience. These dimensions form the basis of a proposed conceptual model for experiential tourism experiences. The findings provide a structured lens for understanding and measuring tourist experiences. Academically, the framework addresses the lack of validated models by offering clearly defined factors for confirmatory analysis. Practically, it offers destination managers and planners a guideline to design and evaluate tourism offerings that foster deep personal engagement, lasting memories, learning opportunities, active participation, and emotional fulfillment. Future research should test this model with empirical data to confirm its reliability and validity.
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