Place satisfaction, place attachment and quality of life: Development of a conceptual framework for island destinations

Abstract

Existing research in island destinations have focussed largely on perceived positive and negative environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts. Recognizing the contribution of these studies, this chapter delves into how visitors’ place satisfaction contributes to overall quality of life, without which the sustainability of the tourism industry in small island economies may be threatened. Adopting the attitude-behaviour framework, the objective of this study is to propose and develop a theoretical framework bridging the nexus between place satisfaction, place attachment, pro-environmental behavior and overall quality of life of local visitors at distinctive cultural and natural attractions in island destinations. The integrated model draws from the environmental psychology literature proposing the mediating effects of (1) place attachment on the relationship between local visitors’ place satisfaction and pro-environmental behavior (2) local visitors’ pro-environmental behavior on the relationship between place attachment and their overall quality of life. The main theoretical contribution relates to the development of a conceptual framework proposing place attachment with the inclusion of the four dimensions (affect, identity, dependence, social bonding) and pro-environmental behavior as a mediating constructs in a single model. Suggestions for the implementation of sustainable island tourism and quality of life and limitations of the study are discussed.