Sustainability, value, and satisfaction: Model testing and cross-validation in tourist destinations

This study explores the relationships between visitors' perceived sustainability of a tourist destination and their perceived value of and satisfaction with the trip. Perceived sustainability is a multidimensional construct made up of economic, socio-cultural, and environmental dimensions. By using survey data and structural equation modeling, this study tests and cross-validates the model in two tourist destinations: Cullera (Spain) and Oristano (Italy). The results, which support all the hypotheses and offer a robust model whose basic structure is invariant across samples, enhance the understanding of perceived sustainability as a key factor in the development of more competitive and market-oriented tourist destinations. The findings extend sustainability literature by covering previously ignored outcomes that demonstrate how perceived sustainability tends to be a universal factor for explaining perceived value and satisfaction in the context of tourist destinations.