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Abstract
This study explored predictors of recreationists' intention to return to Santee Cooper Country (SCC), a popular destination for angling-based tourism in South Carolina. Our hypothesized model indicated that recreationists' experience use history and place satisfaction would positively affect four dimensions of place attachment to SCC. Place attachment was also modeled as a predictor of intention to return to SCC. In addition to testing the hypothesized relationships, this study examined the effect of two moderators, place familiarity and angling skill, on these relationships. Invariance tests across the four groups illustrated that highly skilled recreationists' intention to return was driven mostly by their emotional attachment to the recreation area, while the lower-skill group's intention to return was driven mainly by social ties to SCC. Place familiarity had no significant moderating effect.
Parent Publication
Citation
Yoon, Jee In; Kyle, Gerard. 2010. Predictors of visitors' intention to return to a nature-based recreation area. In: Watts, Clifton E., Jr.; Fisher, Cherie LeBlanc, eds. Proceedings of the 2009 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-66. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 188-197.
