RELIGIOUS TOURISM POST-COVID-19 IN THE CONTEXT OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES: DESTINATION IMAGE, PERCEIVED VALUE, INTENTION TO REVISIT MAKKAH AND HEALTH RISK AS MODERATOR

Abstract

This research aims at broadening the religious tourism literature. It empirically discovers the links among the destination's image, perceived value, and a revisit intention to Makkah city and the role of a health risk as a moderator in these ties post-Covid-19. PLS-SEM techniques were used to determine the causal relationship of a sample of 147 visitors who had visited Mecca for Umrah. The results demonstrate that two out of five hypotheses were supported. This research broadens the theories of planned behavior and perceived consumer risk, mainly in times of crisis (e.g. Covid19) in the setting of Muslim countries. This study also may be the first attempt to combine the role of a perceived health risk as a moderator in religious tourism studies. The present study shows that either the destination image or the perceived value is a key antecedent of the intention to revisit Makkah. Managers and marketers should continue working on the image and value of the Makkah destination to improve the travel environment. This study may be the first study to estimate the behavior of tourists (pilgrims) in post-Covid-19 to Makkah. The results of the research are also useful in the field of Islamic marketing and religious tourism.