The effect of destination attractiveness on destination attachment and its impact on tourist sustainable behavior

Purpose – In gaining competitive advantage in the tourism context, Bandung City needs a good marketing strategy. This study aims to determine the influence of destination attractiveness on destination attachment and its impact on tourist sustainable behavior in Bandung, West Java. Design/methodology/approach – This study used a descriptive verification approach. The number of samples is 151 tourists who were randomly selected using incidental techniques. The data analysis is carried out using SEM with Amos 22 software. The data were collected through questionnaire, notes and publication, and literature study. Findings – The results of this study indicate that the attraction given by a destination directly influences tourists to make return visits. Destination attractiveness has an influence on destination attachment. This study also found that the mediating effect of the tourist destination attachment on the relationship between destination attractiveness and sustainable behavior is very small. Research limitations/implications – Future research is suggested to consider other variables that are able to mediate the influence of tourist attraction on return visits or sustainable behavior. Practical implications – As destination attractiveness positively affects sustainable behavior of tourist, this study provides insight for the government of Bandung city to make a good marketing strategy in order to create a competitive advantage in their destination. Originality/value – This study answers to the suggestion from previous studies to identify and examine the mediators relevant to the attitude-behavior relationship in the context of tourism research.


Introduction
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries, and it makes the best contribution to a country's economic development (Asbollah et al., 2017). The economic benefits of tourism encourage a country and local communities to promote various types of tourism such as nature, culture, and heritage tourism to revitalize the local economy. A good tourist attraction can provide a positive opinion, especially for both local and foreign tourists to visit a tourist destination (Kirilenko et al., 2019). Currently, the competition between tourist destinations to compete for market share is getting fiercer. Regarding this, destination management seeks to understand how people choose destinations for travel and why people prefer one destination over other similar places (Chen &  Based on Table 1, when it is viewed from 2018 to 2019, the number of tourists who visited Bandung City has increased, but it decreased in 2020. This is due to the government's policy of implementing social restrictions as a means of preventing the spread of Covid-19 and the weakness of the tourism sector in facilitating tourists. According to Ervina & Oktaviany (2019), the destination attractiveness factor can be measured from the behavior of tourists who are functionally related. Furthermore, in terms of destination attachment factors, it is measured by the facilities that make tourists have the intention to revisit the destination.
Based on the background explained, this study attempts to determine the influence of destination attractiveness on destination attachment and its impact on tourism sustainable behavior. This study contributes to the enrichment of tourism sustainable behavior literature by answering to the suggestion from previous studies (Passafaro, 2020) to examine and identify the mediators relevant to the attitude-behavior relationship in the context of tourism research.

Literature Review and Hypotheses Destination Attractiveness
Destination attractiveness is a perceived attractiveness of a destination which provide satisfaction and benefits for tourists (Kirilenko et al., 2019). Vengesayi et al. (2009) defined destination as a country, region, or city that is marketed as a place for tourists to visit (Hai & Thuong, 2019). Xu et al. (2020) also emphasized that attraction is the initial motivation for tourists to choose a destination according to their interests and preferences. Attractiveness is an important perception of tourists when they participate in tourism activities (Kwon et al., 2017). The attractiveness of a destination will have an impact on economic development, regional performance, and sustainable economic development (Emir et al., 2016). Destination attractiveness is generally measured by core attributes and additional attributes. Core attributes refer to a unique natural or cultural resource, which includes history, music, folklore, and special events. Augmented attributes indicate functional characteristics, including transportation, narrative services, infrastructure, and environmental services . Cheng et al. (2013) defined sustainable behavior as the desire of an individual to take an action again. Casado-Diaz et al. (2020) provided the criteria using the definition of sustainable tourists as those who: (1) agree with a code of conduct that recommends how they as visitors should behave, (2) appreciate that their activities have an impact on the environment and adapt their actions, and (3) want to make an economic contribution to the region's economy by buying local products such as food and crafts (Safshekan et al., 2020). The literature on sustainable tourism from the perspective of consumption or tourist behavior has developed in the last decade. Most studies focus on visitor attitudes and revisit intentions. The tourist behavior literature can be grouped into four categories. The first one investigates the attitude of tourists, such as the attitudes that are influenced by the environment in an area. The second studies tourist behavior and the factors that influence it, such as eco-friendly tourists. The third one examines how tourist behavior has an impact on the economy of a region, the environment, and local culture. According to Chen et al. (2014), the behavior displayed by tourists during holidays has important consequences for the welfare of the local communities. The fourth proposes steps to study sustainable tourist behavior, which tourists are attracted to and want to revisit. Chi et al. (2020) recommended to build a good regional image by providing various facilities to influence tourist behavioral intentions.

Destination Attachment
According to Wang et al. (2020), the concept of destination attachment is originated from the study of geography, and then from the study of environmental psychology. A destination can be tangible and intangible. Over time, the meaning and value of destination is given by society and individuals who are presented in individuals, groups, and cultures (Reitsamer et al., 2016). Destination attachment is a process that is built to generate attraction for tourists to visit. A destination also connects individuals with the environment, generates identification, satisfaction, and attention to a unique field, as well as connects perceptions that can be used as a tourist choice (Veasna et al., 2013). Therefore, many cities use destination attachment to explore tourists, or emotional attachment and recreational behavior to attract tourists. Japutra (2020) stated that destination attachment can be measured using two constructs: destination identification and destination dependence (Chubchwong & Speece, 2016). Destination identification shows important substructures regarding the identity and characteristics of a location. Simply put, destination identification is a psychological feeling and affective and symbolic meaning created through the accumulated experience of a region. By making repeated visits, tourists will have a relationship or attachment to certain destinations. According to Turki & Amara (2017), destination dependence also reflects how well the location facilitates the tourists' activities who make a visit. Thus, destination attachment and the importance of a place can affect individual functional goals (Jee et al., 2019).

Destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior
Tourist sustainable behavior can be understood as a set of actions performed by tourists to contribute to the social, natural, or built tourism destination and reduce aggressive behavior towards the destination (Pilli et al., 2015). When visiting tourism destinations, tourist with sustainable behavior will tend to be aware about the importance of the destination, commit to give positive contributions for the destinations, and show actions that aims to protect the destinations for both present and future visitors of the destination (Alazaizeh et al., 2019). Several studies have used different terms for tourist sustainable behavior, namely tourist proenvironmental behavior, tourist environmentally responsible behavior, and tourist eco-friendly behavior (Mobley et al., 2010;Park & Ha, 2012).
A number of scholars have found the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior. Cheng et al. (2013) conducted a study on island tourism in Taiwan and found that when tourists perceive that the attractiveness of the destination they visited is good, they will have more concerns about the environmental issues and commit to actions with the least impact on the natural environment. Similarly, the findings from Zeidenitz et al. (2007) indicate that a destination attractiveness can act as a significant predictor for tourists to behave ecologically in addition to sustain the destination. Mohammed et al. (2018) have also proven that destination attractiveness positively influences environmentally responsible behavior of tourists, in their research on Marine Parks in Malaysia. Therefore, based on this explanation, the hypothesis proposed is: H1: Destination attractiveness has a positive influence on tourist sustainable behavior.

Destination attractiveness and destination attachment
Destination attractiveness has four key factors, namely accessibility, amenities and infrastructure, scenery, and local community, which all have the potential to drive tourists to come visit and spend time at a destination (Henkel et al., 2006). Reitsamer et al. (2016) suggested that destination attractiveness plays a role as a precondition for tourist attachment formation. The four key factors of destination attractiveness act to encourage tourist attachment towards a destination. Furthermore, Japutra (2020) found in his study that destination attractiveness has an influence on destination attachment. Xu & Zhang (2016) conducted two studies for both domestic and Western tourists who visited China and found that destination attractiveness can affect destination attachment. It can occur because destination attractiveness reflects various functional attributes, thus it can have an impact on the settings in which tourists process and assimilate the knowledge from the destination attractions (Hou et al., 2005). Other scholars also proposed and found the positive relationship between destination attractiveness and destination attachment (Reitsamer et al., 2016;Hou et al., 2005;Song, 2017;Xu & Zhang, 2016;Cheng et al., 2013). Therefore, based on this explanation, the hypothesis proposed is: H2: Destination attractiveness has a positive influence on destination attachment.

Destination attachment and tourist sustainable behavior
Destination attachment is the positive emotional bond perceived by an individual to a specific place (Manzo, 2003). Some people might be attached to a destination because of the close social ties or other factors, while some others are attached because of the physical aspects of the destination (Lewicka, 2011). Several studies have considered the importance of destination attachment in predicting the behaviors aimed at protecting the environment (Vaske & Kobrin, 2001;Buonincontri et al., 2017, Tonge et al., 2015. Cheng et al. (2013) also conducted a study in this issue and found that the higher level of destination attachment can lead to higher intention of tourists to practice responsible environmental behaviors. Their study also found that destination attachment acts as a mediator in the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior. In addition, Ramkissoon et al. (2013) proved that all dimensions of destination attachment, which include place identity, place affect, place dependence, and place social bonding, have a positive influence on pro-environmental behaviors. The findings from Tonge et al. (2015;Vaske & Kobrin, 2001;Buonincontri et al. 2017) also prove that destination attachment has a positive influence on tourist sustainable behavior. Therefore, based on this explanation, the hypothesis proposed are as follows: H3: Destination attachment has a positive influence on sustainable behavior. H4: Destination attractiveness has an indirect influence on tourist sustainable behavior through destination attachment.

Research Methods
This study uses quantitative approach with descriptive verificative research type. It explains and describes the phenomenon based on data that has been collected and examine or prove a theory or studies that has been done before (Charnes et al., 1997). The samples in this study are tourists in Bandung City, with the number of samples of 121 respondents. The samples are taken using incidental technique, which is a random sampling with the assumption that there is a match. The surveys were distributed at both weekends and weekdays in order to get larger group of respondents. The targeted respondents are both domestic and foreign tourists (aged 18-50 years) who visited Bandung. From 135 questionnaires that are distributed, 121 questionnaires are completely filled, thus can be used for further data analysis. The data analysis is carried out using SEM with Amos 22 software.

Results and Discussion
The characteristics in this study can be seen in Table 1. Based on the data of respondent profile, the majority of tourists are male, which is as many as 97 respondents (80.7%). Based on age, 73% of the respondents are 31-40 years old, namely 83 respondents. Based on country, most of the tourists come from Indonesia, but from outside Bandung, with the number of 93 tourists.

Measurement Model
The data analysis is carried out using Amos 22 software. One of the outputs that is expected from this measurement model is to obtain information regarding the validity and reliability of the indicator in each variable, as well as the correlation that occurs between variables. The result of the measurement model test is presented in Figure 2.
From the analysis results of the measurement model using Amos 22, it is obtained 5 indicators from destination attractiveness variable that are valid and reliable, namely ma3, ma4, sa1, sa2, and sa3. Furthermore, there are 4 indicators obtained from destination attachment variable that are valid and reliable, namely di1, dd1, dd2, and dd4. Finally, there are 5 indicators obtained from tourist sustainable behavior that are valid and reliable, namely ub 2, ub 3, ub 4, sb 2, and sb3. All of the indicators have the loading factor value of ≥0.5, which means that all indicators are valid.

Figure 2. Results of Measurement Model
The validity and reliability value of each latent variable is presented in Table 3. In Table 3, it can be seen that all indicators have the loading factor value of ≥0.5, thus it can be interpreted that all indicators are valid. The three variables formed from each indicator are also shown to be reliable because it has the CR value of ≥0.7 and AVE value of ≥0.5, thus it can be said to be reliable (Hair et al., 2014). Table 4 below shows the correlation size that occurs between destination attractiveness, destination attachment, and tourist sustainable behavior variable.

Structural Model
The data analysis is carried out using Amos 22 software. One of the outputs that is expected from this measurement model is to obtain information regarding the validity and reliability of the indicator in each variable, as well as the correlation that occurs between variables. The result of the measurement model test is presented in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Results of Structural Model
The fit of the model is indicated by the statistical value of Goodness of Fit (GoF) as presented in Table 5. The results of the model fit test from several criteria such as X 2 , GFI, AGFI, CFI, and RMSEA mostly met the fit criteria (see Table 5). It can be seen that all of the existing GoF statistical criteria has meet the criteria of the fit model. Therefore, the model for each latent variable is compatible with the existing data. The results of hypothesis testing on each structural relationship are shown in Table 6.

Discussion
Based on the results in Table 6, it can be seen that the direct influence of destination attractiveness on tourist sustainable behavior is 0.515 with a standard error of 0.135. The tstatistics value is 3.236 (>1.96) and the p-value is 0.001 < 0.05. Therefore, it is proven that destination attractiveness has a positive and significant influence on tourist sustainable behavior, thus hypothesis 1 is accepted. This shows that the attraction given by a destination directly influences tourists to make return visits. The advantages of a city that has the attractiveness of a destination can become the competitive advantage for the region, especially in the Bandung City. The attractiveness of a tourism destination is also very important in attracting tourists to visit and has a positive impact on the economic progress. This results also support the previous studies from Xu et al. (2020;Cheng et al. 2013;Mohammed et al. 2018) who stated that the attractiveness of a tourism destination affects tourist sustainable behavior. This study has shown that destination attractiveness is significantly important in affecting tourist sustainable behavior. Destination attractiveness is a perceived attractiveness of a destination which provide satisfaction and benefits for tourists (Kirilenko et al., 2019). This suggests that when the tourists perceive that the destination attractiveness is good, the tourists are more likely to show sustainable behavior. They realize that their activities to visit a destination has an impact on the environment, thus they will adapt their actions accordingly. In addition, when the tourists consider a destination as attractive, they will also want to make an economic contribution to the local economy where the destination exists. This supports the statement from Emir and Bayer (2016) who stated that when a destination is considered attractive, it will have a positive impact towards the economic and regional development, performance, and sustainability.
Based on the results in Table 6, it can be seen that the direct influence of destination attractiveness on destination attachment is 0.293 with a standard error of 0.150. The t-statistics value is 2.211 (>1.96) and the p-value is 0.027 < 0.05. Therefore, it is proven that destination attractiveness has a positive and significant influence on destination attachment, thus hypothesis 2 is accepted. This study strengthens the results from Japutra (2020) who found that the concept of destination attractiveness is closely related to destination attachment. In addition, Wang et al. (2020) also stated that tourist attraction is very influential on the attachment of a destination. The results also support the study from Reitsamer et al. (2016;Hou et al. 2005;Song, 2017;Xu & Zhang, 2016;Cheng et al. 2013).
It can be interpreted that the tourists who become the respondents in this study perceive that Bandung has a destination attractiveness in the context of its scenery, weather, infrastructure, restaurants, and public transportation. This finding suggests that enhancing the attractiveness of a destination is highly important to drive destination attachment of the tourists. Destination attractiveness is considered as the first necessary precondition to enhance tourist destination attachment (Reitsamer et al., 2016). Therefore, this makes the tourists who visited Bandung become attached to that destination and have positive psychological feeling and affection to the city.
Based on the results in Table 6, it can be seen that the direct influence of destination attachment on tourist sustainability behavior is 0.237 with a standard error of 0.093. The tstatistics value is 1.897 (<1.96) and the p-value is 0.058 > 0.05. Therefore, it is proven that destination attachment does not have a positive and significant influence on tourist sustainability behavior, thus hypothesis 3 is rejected. This study rejects the results found by Ram et al. (2016;Vaske & Kobrin, 2001;Buonincontri et al., 2017, Tonge et al., 2015 who found that destination attachment has an influence on tourist sustainability behavior. The results from previous studies have shown that destination attachment may be caused by close social ties or other social factors, or it may be caused by the physical aspect of the destination (Lewicka, 2011). However, the results in this study indicate that destination attachment is not a significant predictor for behaviors aimed at protecting the environment. Therefore, in this study, although the tourists who visited Bandung already felt an emotional attachment to the city as tourism destination, it does not mean that they have concerns for Bandung regarding the environmental issue. According the results of this study, the destination attachment also does not guarantee that the tourists will make a return visit to Bandung. Based on the results of structural model test in Table 6, it can be seen that there is an additional mediating role of destination attachment on the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior of 0.293 x 0.237 = 0.069 (6.9%). This indicates that the mediating role of destination attachment is very small, thus it can be a suggestion for future researchers to consider other variables that possibly can be a mediator for the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior.
This study supports the results from Cheng et al. (2013), who also proved the mediating role of destination attachment in the influence of destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior. In this regard, when tourists perceive a destination as attractive, they will gain respect and affection for that destination. Consequently, after they develop attachment in the form of dependence and affection towards the destination, the tourists will become interested and have concern to the environment, thus enabling them to perform a sustainable behavior.

Conclusion
This study attempts to understand the influence of destination attractiveness on destination attachment and its effect on tourist sustainable behavior. The results indicate that destination attractiveness has an influence on both destination attachment and tourist sustainable behavior. However, it does not find any influence of destination attachment on tourist sustainability behavior. The mediating role of destination attachment in the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior only has a small influence. From the results of this study, it is known that destination attractiveness plays a crucial role and acts as a precondition for tourists to have enhanced destination attachment. When tourists perceive that a destination is attractive, it would enable them to grow an attachment towards the destination, thus predicting their sustainable behavior towards the destination.

Theoretical Implication and Managerial Implication
This study provides theoretical implication by contributing to the enrichment of tourism sustainable behavior literature. This study answers to the suggestion from previous studies to examine and identify the mediators relevant to the attitude-behavior relationship in the context of tourism research. It raises the need for scholars to consider tourist sustainable behavior as an aspect that have an important role in tourism. Destination attraction plays an important role to enhance destination attachment, hence promoting tourist sustainable behavior. This model also emphasizes that destination attachment has a mediating effect on the relationship between destination attraction and tourist sustainable behavior.
In gaining competitive advantage in the tourism context, Bandung City needs a good marketing strategy. By increasing the ability of a destination to be better, tourists are expected to make return visits. However, the ability owned by a destination must be closely related with the resources owned by the destination. In this study, the managerial implication provided is that the government in Bandung City should make sure that Bandung truly have the aspects to become a tourist attraction. Both the government and tourists who visit Bandung should also realize the importance of tourist sustainable behavior; not only regarding return visits, but also the concern towards the environment.

Future Research Direction
The data of this study can be considered to be too general; as it does not limit the study to certain tourist attraction such as cultural heritage, parks, conservation areas, or others. Future research could test the relationship between variables in this study in different settings. This is because a different tourism destination can have different implications and perception from the tourists' point of view. Furthermore, future research can consider other variables that can mediate, or even moderate, the relationship between destination attractiveness and tourist sustainable behavior to help a tourism destination in gaining their competitive advantage. attachment and its relationships with place satisfaction and pro-environmental behaviours: A structural equation modelling approach. Tourism Management,36,[552][553][554][555][556][557][558][559][560][561][562][563][564][565][566]