The objective of the study was to examine how first-time and repeat visitors develop loyalty
differently. A multiple group analysis in LISREL was conducted using data collected from
a major tourism destination in the southern United States. The findings revealed that
(a) repeat visitors reported higher levels of revisit and referral intentions (used to infer
destination loyalty) compared with first-time visitors and (b) previous experiences moderated
the relationship between tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty—satisfaction
played a more important role in leading to loyalty for first-timers than for repeaters. The
theoretical and managerial implications were drawn based on the study findings, and
recommendations for future researchers were made.