Article Details
Vol. 7 No. 2 (2025): December
Impact of Tourist Attractions on Word of Mouth: A Case Study of Fort Marlborough, Bengkulu
Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to determine the influence of tourist attractions on word-of-mouth (WOM), specifically in terms of the decision to visit and visitor satisfaction at Fort Marlborough.
Research Methodology: This research employs a quantitative method, with data collection conducted in May 2025 at Fort Marlborough in Bengkulu Province. The respondents were visitors to Fort Marlborough, with a sample size of 130 people selected using accidental sampling techniques. A Likert scale was used as the primary measurement tool. Path Analysis was applied to evaluate the proposed hypothesis, allowing for the assessment of both direct and indirect relationships. This analysis was performed using SmartPLS 3 software.
Results: Direct influence, tourist attraction affects the three bound variables, namely, the decision to visit, visitor satisfaction, and word of mouth. In terms of indirect influences, tourist attractions affect word of mouth through the decision to visit and the satisfaction of visitors to Fort Marlborough.
Conclusions: This study shows that tourist attractions significantly influence visiting decisions, satisfaction, and word-of-mouth at Fort Marlborough. It highlights the mediating roles of visit decisions and satisfaction, offering insights for destination managers to enhance attraction quality and visitor experience.
Limitations: This study is limited to a single historical destination (Fort Marlborough) with a small sample size (130 respondents) and a cross-sectional design, which may limit generalizability. In addition, only four variables were examined, excluding other potential factors.
Contributions: This study contributes to the tourism and marketing disciplines by empirically demonstrating how tourist attractions influence word of mouth through visiting decisions and visitor satisfaction in the context of historical tourism in Indonesia. Practically, the findings provide guidance for heritage destination managers and local governments to enhance the visitor experience and strengthen word-of-mouth promotion.
Keywords
How to Cite
Download Citation
References
- Anggani, M. F., Maemunah, I., & Saepudin, P. (2025). An Exploration of Service Quality in Relation to Tourist Satisfaction at Lebakmuncang Tourism Village. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 7(1), 79-93. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v7i1.3201
- Ardiansyah, I., Iskandar, H., Krisnadi, A. R., & Dewantara, Y. F. (2023). Measuring Tourist Satisfaction Index on Attraction, Amenities, Accessibility, and Ancillary Service (Case Study of Angke Kapuk Mangrove Nature Park, Jakarta). International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Studies, 3(1), 89-101. doi:https://doi.org/10.31098/ijeass.v3i1.1537
- Arismayanti, N. K., Andiani, N. D., & Kusyanda, M. R. (2024). Tourist Satisfaction Model: Structural Relationship of Destination Image, Electronic Word of Mouth, and Service Quality in Bali Destination. Nurture, 18(2), 360-372. doi:https://doi.org/10.55951/nurture.v18i2.623
- Ats?z, O., & Akova, O. (2021). Cultural Destination Attributes, Overall Tourist Satisfaction and Tourist Loyalty: First Timers versus Repeaters. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), 9(2), 268-291. doi:https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.894577
- Biswas, C., Omar, H., & Rashid-Radha, J. Z. R. R. (2020). The Impact of Tourist Attractions and Accessibility on Tourists' Satisfaction: The Moderating Role of Tourists' Age. Geo Journal of Tourism and Geosites, 32(4), 1202-1208. doi:https://doi.org/10.30892/gtg.32402-558
- Canegia, G., & Sukma, R. P. (2025). Pengaruh Daya Tarik Wisata, Sapta Pesona dan WOM Terhadap Keputusan dan Kepuasan Pengunjung. Tulisan Ilmiah Pariwisata (TULIP), 8(1), 38-50. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.31314/tulip.8.1.38-50.2025
- Cepeda-Pacheco, J. C., & Domingo, M. C. (2022). Deep Learning and Internet of Things for Tourist Attraction Recommendations in Smart Cities. Neural Computing and Applications, 34(10), 7691-7709. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00521-021-06872-0
- Cudjoe, E., & Gbedemah, S. F. (2019). The New Roles of Legon Botanical Garden as Visitor Destination in Ghana. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 23-35. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v1i1.160
- ?uli?, M., Vuji?i?, M. D., Kalini?, ?., Dunji?, M., Stankov, U., Kova?i?, S., . . . An?elkovi?, Ž. (2021). Rookie Tourism Destinations—The Effects of Attractiveness Factors on Destination Image and Revisit Intention with the Satisfaction Mediation Effect. Sustainability, 13(11), 1-16. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115780
- Dwiatmojo, A. R., Kamarudin, K. H., & Nyura, Y. (2024). The Influence of Tourist Attraction Positioning on Tourist Decisions to Visit the ‘XYZ’ in Samarinda, Indonesia. Planning Malaysia, 22(4), 320-328. doi:https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v22i33.1551
- Ernowo, P. Y. (2025). Libatkan 113 Sejarawan, Sejarah Indonesia akan Ditulis Ulang. Retrieved from https://infopublik.id/kategori/nasional-sosial-budaya/922050/libatkan-113-sejarawan-sejarah-indonesia-akan-ditulis-ulang
- González-Viralta, D., Veas-González, I., Egaña-Bruna, F., Vidal-Silva, C., Delgado-Bello, C., & Pezoa-Fuentes, C. (2023). Positive Effects of Green Practices on the Consumers' Satisfaction, Loyalty, Word-of-Mouth, and Willingness to Pay. Heliyon, 9(10), 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4408451
- Gunasekara, I., & Silva, S. (2021). Agro-Tourist Satisfaction in Sri Lanka: With Special Reference to Tourist Socio-Demographic and Destination Characteristics. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 3(1), 61-73. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v3i2.1230
- Hadiwijaya, H., Yustini, T., & Annisa, M. L. (2025). Effect of Destination Image, Amenities on Revisit Intention with Visitor Satisfaction. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 6(3), 281-293. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v6i3.2173
- Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A New Criterion for Assessing Discriminant Validity in Variance-Based Structural Equation Modeling. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 43, 115-135. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
- Khoo, K. L. (2022). A Study of Service Quality, Corporate Image, Customer Satisfaction, Revisit Intention and Word-of-Mouth: Evidence from the KTV Industry. PSU Research Review, 6(2), 105-119. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/PRR-08-2019-0029
- Kotler, P. T., & Armstrong, G. (2020). Principles of Marketing 18th Edition London: Pearson Education.
- Kusuma, F. J., & Syarifuddin, S. (2022). Perkembangan Obyek Wisata Benteng Marlborough Tahun 2013-2019. Jurnal Pendidikan Sejarah, 11(2), 1-22.
- Lam-González, Y. E., Clouet, R., Cruz Sosa, N., & León, J. d. (2021). Dissatisfaction Responses of Tourists in the Havana World Heritage Site. Sustainability, 13(19), 1-16. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911015
- Melastri, K., & Giantari, I. (2019). Effect of Service Quality, Company Image, and Customer Satisfaction in Word of Mouth. International Research Journal of Management, IT and Social Sciences, 6(4), 127-134. doi:https://doi.org/10.21744/irjmis.v6n4.666
- Muhson, A. (2022). Analisis Statistik dengan SmartPLS: Path Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, & Structural Equation Modeling. Yogyakarta: Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta.
- Pasaribu, A. W., Ginting, J. A., & Andriani, N. N. (2022). Tourism Storytelling, Dampaknya Terhadap Niat Perilaku Wisata di Kawasan Danau Toba Kabupaten Samosir, Sumatera Utara. Jurnal Kepariwisataan Indonesia: Jurnal Penelitian Dan Pengembangan Kepariwisataan Indonesia, 16(1), 77-85. doi:https://doi.org/10.47608/jki.v16i12022.77-85
- Robustin, T. P. (2020). Attraction and Word of Mouth in a Visit Decision. Jurnal Ilmu Manajemen Advantage, 4(1), 24-31. doi:https://doi.org/10.30741/adv.v4i1.604
- Sæþórsdóttir, A. D., & Hall, C. M. (2020). Visitor Satisfaction in Wilderness in Times of Overtourism: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(1), 123-141. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1817050
- Shen, S., Sotiriadis, M., & Zhang, Y. (2020). The Influence of Smart Technologies on Customer Journey in Tourist Attractions within the Smart Tourism Management Framework. Sustainability, 12(10), 1-18. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104157
- Simanihuruk, M. (2019). Tourist Attraction and Tourist Facilities Intentions to Visitor Satisfaction: Case of Sindang Barang Cultural Village. E-Journal of Tourism, 6(2), 210-224. doi:https://doi.org/10.24922/eot.v6i2.53472
- Sukrana, B. (2025). Exploring Push and Pull Factors Influencing Students' Decisions to Study Tourism and Hospitality Management: A Bangladeshi Perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 7(2), 217-231. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v7i2.3656
- Taufik, E. R., Hasan, S., Titin, T., Singagerda, F. S., & Sinambela, E. A. (2022). Hospitals Visit Intention and Visit Decision: How the Role of Viral and Word of Mouth Marketing?. Frontiers in public health, 10, 1-4. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.948554
- Tjiptono, F., & Chandra, G. (2016). Pemasaran Strategik. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Andi.
- Upekca, I. W. A., Adrian, W. D., Syafendra, Y., & Pakpahan, A. K. (2022). Antaseden dari Word of Mouth pada Kedai Kopi Lokal di Indonesia. Jurnal Ekonomi, 27(3), 441-459. doi:https://doi.org/10.24912/je.v27i3.1175
- Utama, I. G. B. R. (2017). Pemasaran Pariwisata. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Andi.
- Yun, J., & Park, J. (2022). The Effects of Chatbot Service Recovery with Emotion Words on Customer Satisfaction, Repurchase Intention, and Positive Word-of-Mouth. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.922503
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.