Signal, need fulfilment and tourists’ intention to revisit

Self-determination theory (SDT) asserts that satisfying individuals’ basic psychological needs–autonomy, relatedness, competence (ARC)–would affect their behavioural intentions. However, the application of SDT in the tourism context is very limited. This study applies SDT to develop a model to understand individuals’ intention to revisit a holiday destination. The model was tested using data collected from 725 respondents. The results show that destination source credibility and destination image foster tourists’ ARC need fulfilment. This need fulfilment influences their positive emotions and attachment towards the destination, which ultimately increases revisit intention. This study highlights the importance of including SDT in examining tourists’ behaviours. In addition, destination credibility and image could serve as signals to bolster ARC need fulfilment.