Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites | 2026
Authors: Cuong L.C.H.; Ha H.D.; Dung N.T.; Chung N.V.; Tien T.T.Q.
DOI: 10.30892/gtg.65205-1710
Journal: Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites
Year: 2026
Publisher: Editura Universitatii din Oradea
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access
Cited by: 0
Community-Based Tourism (CBT) in Hue City, Vietnam, offers unique cultural and natural experiences but struggles with visitor consistency, threatening long-term sustainability. Understanding tourists' destination choice is vital for developing resilient CBT models. The primary aim of this study is to empirically investigate the determinants influencing tourists' choice of CBT destinations in Hue by analyzing the causal relationships among Destination Quality (DQ), Destination Image (DI), Perceived Value (PV), and Word-of-Mouth (WOM) on Satisfaction (SAT) and Post-visit Behavioral Intention (PVBI). This research highlights the critical mediating role of SAT and the stronger influence of social and image factors over destination quality. The study adopts a quantitative approach using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Data were collected via surveys from 238 tourists across Hue’s three diverse CBT regions: coastal lagoons, central plains, and midland mountainous zones. Results confirm all hypothesized relationships are statistically significant. WOM (β = 0.382) and DI (β = 0.318) were identified as the strongest predictors of SAT, significantly outweighing Destination Quality (DQ, β = 0.111). This indicates that the appeal of authentic culture and positive endorsements are more influential than infrastructure in the CBT context. SAT exerts a strong influence on PVBI (β = 0.721). The model demonstrates strong explanatory power, accounting for 66.7% of SAT variance and 51.8% of PVBI variance. This pioneering PLS-SEM analysis in Hue’s CBT context validates SAT's mediating role and suggests that managerial efforts should prioritize leveraging digital Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) and enhancing destination image via social media to foster visitor loyalty and ensure sustainable CBT development. © 2026 by the authors.
behavioral intention; Community-based tourism; destination choice; Hue CITY; PLS-SEM