Domestic tourists’ memorable experiences, destination image and revisit intention at Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam

Abstract

Although Memorable Tourism Experiences (MTE) are widely recognized as a critical driver of tourist behavior, empirical evidence from heritage destinations in developing countries-particularly focusing on domestic tourists-remains limited. This study addresses these gaps by examining how MTE influence destination image and revisit intention among domestic visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam.  Using cross-sectional survey data collected from 234 domestic tourists, structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed relationships. The findings demonstrate that MTE significantly enhances both destination image and revisit intention. Notably, the direct effect of MTE on revisit intention is the strongest among the examined relationships. In addition, destination image partially mediates the relationship between MTE and revisit intention, highlighting its central role in translating memorable experiences into behavioral intentions. By conceptualizing MTE as a unified construct, the study extends existing tourism behavior frameworks to a heritage tourism context in a developing country. While based on cross-sectional data, future research could adopt longitudinal designs to examine how tourists’ experiences and memories evolve over time. The results provide practical implications for heritage destination managers in Hoi An and similar UNESCO World Heritage sites by emphasizing the importance of designing memory-rich experiences that enhance destination image and foster revisit intention among domestic tourists.