The Impact of Perceived Service Quality on Brand Love in Urban Tourism Destinations: A Green and Sustainable Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Payam Noor University, Department of Business Management, Tehran, Iran.

2 M.A. in Tourism Management, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

3 Doctoral Graduate, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Tourism has evolved into a global industry that drives economic growth, job creation, and infrastructure development. To remain inclusive, this sector must address the needs of diverse groups—particularly individuals with disabilities. Globally, around ten percent of the population lives with some form of disability, representing a significant market segment that is frequently underserved. In Iran, accessibility in tourism services for people with disabilities holds considerable importance. The city of Hamedan, with its rich history and cultural heritage, possesses strong potential for attracting tourists; however, it still faces challenges in providing accessible services. This study examines the impact of service quality on brand love in urban tourism, focusing on the experiences of tourists with disabilities in Hamedan. The dimensions investigated include accessibility, safety, customer perception, and tangible service elements. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), data gathered from tourists with disabilities were analyzed to assess how service quality influences their satisfaction, brand love, and loyalty. The findings indicate that all dimensions of service quality significantly affect tourist satisfaction and emotional attachment to brands. Accessibility and tangibles—such as infrastructure and cleanliness—were particularly influential. Enhanced service quality leads to stronger brand love and customer loyalty, ultimately encouraging positive word-of-mouth promotion.The study underscores the importance of designing inclusive services in urban tourism. By prioritizing accessibility and safety, destinations such as Hamedan can strengthen their brand identity, foster emotional engagement, and attract loyal tourists.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Abdolrahman, R., & Mohammadi, D. (2020). Effective communication factors on controlling the security of foreign tourists in Iran. Researches in Administrative Management, 4(15), 599–618. (In Persian). https://doi.org/20.1001.1.17359570.1399.15.4.4.6
Abubakar, A. M., Ilkan, M., Al‑Tal, R., & Eluwole, K. K. (2017). eWOM, revisit intention, destination trust and gender. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 31, 220–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2016.12.005
Aghaei, P., Razavian, M. T., Saeedi Rad, M., & Khazaei, M. (2015). Analysis of influencing factors on satisfaction from tourist destinations: Case study of tourists in Ghorveh city. Tourism Space Quarterly, 4(14), 97–113. (In Persian). https://sid.ir/paper/214380
Agovino, M., Cascadia, M., Garofalo, A., & Machesney, K. (2017). Tourism and disability in Italy: Limits and opportunities. Tourism Management Perspectives, 23, 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.05.001
Ahrholdt, D. C., Gudergan, S. P., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). Enhancing loyalty: When improving consumer satisfaction and delight matters. Journal of Business Research, 94, 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.08.040
Akbaba, A. (2006). Measuring service quality in the hotel industry: A study in a business hotel in Turkey. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 25(2), 170–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2005.08.006
Akbari Oghaz, Z., & Hanaee, T. (2019). Identifying the factors for promoting security for social interactions of the disabled. Journal of Sustainable Architecture and Urban Design, 7(1), 85–98. https://doi.org/10.22061/jsaud.2019.4205.1273 (In Persian)
Al‑Haddad, A. (2019). Social identification, brand image, and customer satisfaction as determinants of brand love. In M. Mateev & P. Poutziouris (Eds.), Creative business and social innovations for a sustainable future (pp. 255–262). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978‑3‑030‑01662‑3_28
Aro, K., Suomi, K., & Saraniemi, S. (2018). Antecedents and consequences of destination brand love: A case study from Finnish Lapland. Tourism Management, 67, 71–81.
Azizpuor, F., Momeni, H., Ghasemi, A., & Mohammadi, H. (2024). Green management of tourism with an approach to the economic development of local communities in the villages around the Vashi Gorge. Green Development Management Studies, 3(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.22077/jgdms.2024.6988.1049
Bairrada, C. M., Coelho, F., & Coelho, A. (2018). Antecedents and outcomes of brand love: Utilitarian and symbolic brand qualities. European Journal of Marketing, 52(3–4), 656–682. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM‑02‑2016‑0081
Bhat, S., & Darzi, M. (2018). Antecedents of tourist loyalty to tourist destinations: A mediated‑moderation study. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 4(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC‑12‑2017‑0079
Boubker, O., & Naoui, K. (2022). Factors affecting airline brand love, passenger loyalty, and positive word‑of‑mouth: A case study of Royal Airline. World Conference on Transport Research Society Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2022.05.006
Chaudhary, A. H. (2018). [Retracted article] Brand love: Fiction or reality? Journal of Strategic Marketing, 26(8), i–xi. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2018.1430056
Chi, C. G. (2018). Revisiting destination loyalty: An examination of its antecedents. In The Routledge handbook of destination marketing (pp. 316–347). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315101163
Chui Hang, T., Xin‑Wei, C. H., & Sin‑Ban, H. (2017). Significance of safety and security issues in the tourism industry in Malaysia. Science International (Lahore), 29(2), 470–475.
Cossio‑Silva, F. J., Revilla‑Camacho, M. A., & Vega‑Vazquez, M. (2019). The tourist loyalty index: A new indicator for measuring tourist destination loyalty. Journal of Innovation and Knowledge, 4(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2017.10.003
Derakhshi, M., & Sharifnia, Z. (2018). Spatial analysis of security perception based on the definition of the World Tourism Organization and its impact on tourism development. Geography and Regional Development, 16(1), 193–221. https://doi.org/10.22067/geography.v16i1.66138 (In Persian)
Di Vaio, A., Lopez‑Ojeda, A., & Trujillo, L. (2021). The measurement of sustainable behavior and satisfaction with services in cruise tourism experience: An empirical analysis. Research in Transportation Business and Management, 63, 100619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2021.100619
Dozende, F., & Amari, T. (2019). The role of security and laws supporting foreign tourists in economic and tourism development as an international solution using the DEMATEL method. New Approach in Human Geography, 11(4), 89–101. https://sid.ir/paper/520054/fa (In Persian)
Ekiz, H. E., Hussain, K., & Bavik, A. (2006). Perceptions of service quality in North Cyprus national airline. In Tourism and Hospitality Industry 2006: New Trends in Tourism and Hospitality Management (pp. 778–790). 18th Biennial International Conference, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Opatija.
Francis, L. (2018). Understanding disability civil rights non‑categorically: The minority body and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Philosophical Studies, 175(5), 1135–1149. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3372613
Ghaabadian, B. (2017). The level of adaptation of accommodation facilities in Iran with the needs of physically disabled people (Case study: 2‑, 3‑, and 4‑star hotels in Zanjan province). Applied Studies in Management and Development Sciences, 3(5), 78–93. (In Persian)
Haji Babaei, H., & Esmailpour, H. (2019). Brand love analysis: The impact of associations, satisfaction, and trust on brand love. Scientific Research Journal of New Marketing Research, 8(4), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.22108/nmrj.2019.105904.1366 (In Persian)
Hasanzadeh, F. (2015). Green tourism, sustainable environment and development. Geographical Journal of Tourism Space, 4(14), 39–47. https://sid.ir/paper/214377/en (In Persian)
Heidarzadeh, K., Najafi, K., & Hosseini, S. A. (2017). The impact of tourism service quality on destination loyalty with regard to the mediating role of destination image and tourist satisfaction. Tourism Management Studies, 2(4), 115–153. https://doi.org/10.22054/tms.2018.19440.1534 (In Persian)
Heydari Chiane, R., & Saadloniya, H. (2016). Outcome analysis of destination image management in urban tourism: Case study of Tabriz metropolis. Tourism Planning and Development Journal, 5(19), 94–109. https://doi.org/10.22080/jtpd.2017.1432 (In Persian)
Jabari, A., Khazaei Pool, J., & Asadi, H. (2018). Impact of perceived quality of sports tourism destinations on satisfaction and intention to revisit. Sports Management Journal, 10(1), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.22059/jsm.2018.25326 (In Persian)
Junaid, M., Hou, F., Hussain, K., & Kirmani, A. A. (2019). Brand love: The emotional bridge between experience and engagement, Generation‑M perspective. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 28(3), 200–215. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM‑04‑2018‑1852
Kanwel, S., Lingqiang, Z., Asif, M., Hwang, J., Hussain, A., & Jameel, A. (2019). The influence of destination image on tourist loyalty and intention to visit: Testing a multiple mediation approach. Sustainability, 11(22), 6401. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226401
Khan, I., Rahman, Z., & Fatma, M. (2017). Antecedents and outcomes of brand experience: An empirical study. Journal of Brand Management, 24, 592–608. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262‑017‑0040‑x
Kordi Sarjaz, N. (2015). Examining environmental barriers to tourism development for people with physical and mental disabilities (Case study: Tehran city) [Master’s thesis, Allameh Tabatabai University, Faculty of Management and Accounting]. (In Persian)
Lee, S., Jeon, K., & Kim, D. (2011). The impact of tour quality and tourist satisfaction on tourist loyalty: The case of Chinese tourists in Korea. Tourism Management, 32(5), 1115–1124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101487
Li, F., Lu, H., Hou, M., Cui, K., & Darbandi, M. (2020). Customer satisfaction with bank services: The role of cloud services, security, e‑learning, and service quality. Journal of Services Marketing, 34(5), 39–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elsevier.2020.11.014
Marcos, A. F., & da Silva, A. R. L. (2020). Antecedents and outcomes of brand love. In Proceedings of the 15th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI) (pp. 1–7). https://doi.org/10.23919/CISTI49556.2020.9140997
Mittal, S., Gupta, V., & Motiani, M. (2022). Examining the linkages between employee brand love, affective commitment, positive word of mouth, and turnover intentions: A social identity theory perspective. Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2022.04.002
Mohammadi, M., & Mirtagian Roudsari, S. M. (2019). Investigating the factors affecting loyalty to urban tourism destinations (Case study: Ramsar city). Scientific Research Quarterly of Urban Tourism, 6(1), 149–168. https://doi.org/10.22059/jut.2019.247642.426 (In Persian)
Motouri Pour Mohammari, R. (2019). Investigating the relationship between tourism service quality and loyalty with the mediating role of destination image and tourist satisfaction (Case study: International tourists in Isfahan) [Master’s thesis, Sheikh Bahaei University]. (In Persian)
Mousavi, S. M., & Amiri Aghdaie, S. F. (2020). Investigating consumer behavior to create expected customer value using big data analysis. Consumer Behavior Studies Journal, 7(1), 160–182. https://doi.org/10.34785/J018.2020.467
Nematollahi, M., Amin Bidokhti, A. A., Baloochi, H., & Hossein Zadeh, M. (2017). Impact of police service quality on tourists’ intention to revisit with the mediating role of destination image and security perception in Mashhad city. Research Journal of Security and Social Order, 10(1), 7–27. (In Persian)
Nobar, Z., & Rahimi, A. (2025). Urban agricultural land revitalization and the creation of edible parks toward sustainable urban development. Green Development Management Studies, 4(2), 91–118. https://doi.org/10.22077/jgdms.2024.7975.1176
Noorali, M., Saeeidnia, H., & Alipour Darvishi, Z. (2024). Providing a value co‑creation model based on green social capital (Case study: Family businesses). Green Development Management Studies, 3(2), 171–190. https://doi.org/10.22077/jgdms.2024.7502.1119 (In Persian)
Pahi, M. H., Ahmed, U., Sheikh, A. Z., Dakhn, S. A., Khawaja, F. M., & Ramayah, T. (2020). Leadership and commitment to service quality in Pakistani hospitals: The contingent role of role clarity. SAGE Open, 10(4), 2158244020963642. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020963642
Pandow, A. (2019). How to brand love in private labels: The role of satisfaction as an intervening variable. Journal of Marketing Management, 4(2), 81–91. https://doi.org/10.60083/jsisfotek.v5i3.274
Parsaei, Z., Ismaili, G., & Rahimnia, F. (2020). Investigating the impact of omnichannel integration on customer loyalty through customer participation. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Industrial Management, 12–28. (In Persian)
Ramzi, M., & Badruddin, M. (2006). Customer loyalty and the impact of service quality: A case study of five‑star hotels in Jordan. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Economic, and Business Engineering, 7(4), 1702–1708. (In Persian)
Rita, P., Oliveira, T., & Farisa, F. (2019). The impact of e‑service quality and customer satisfaction on customer behavior in online shopping. Heliyon, 5(10), e02690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02690
Sadeghi, S., & Hosseinzadeh Shahri, M. (2025). Providing a sustainable advertising model with a meta‑synthesis approach. Green Development Management Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.22077/jgdms.2025.8479.1219
Sadeghloo, T., & Mahdavi, D. (2015). Explanation of the role of destination environmental quality on improving tourists’ intellectual imaging (Case study: Tourism destination villages of Roodbar‑Ghasran rural district). Management of Sport and Physical Education (MJSP), 19(2), 61–88. (In Persian)
Seifollahi, N., & Dehghani Qahnewie, A. (2021). Explaining the impact of fairness and empathy on consumer behavior: The moderating role of the length of relationship with the seller. New Marketing Research, 11(3), 111–128. https://doi.org/10.22108/nmrj.2021.127766.2410 (In Persian)
Shaterian, M., Kiani, S., & Sheikhzadeh, F. (2019). Investigating the effect of tourists’ mental image of Qamsar and Niasar Flower & Golab Festival on the quality and perceived value of services. Urban Tourism, 6(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.22059/jut.2018.250298.440 (In Persian)
Shirmohammadi, Y. (2024). The effect of existential authenticity of cultural tourists’ experiences on brand resonance of local eco‑lodging booking portals in Gilan Province. Urban Ecology Researches, 15(36), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.30473/grup.2023.66485.2752 (In Persian)
Shirmohammadi, Y., & Choobdar, I. (2023). The effect of active and passive strategies on entrepreneurship and performance in agricultural tourism businesses. Entrepreneurship and Agriculture, 10(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.61186/jea.10.19.27 (In Persian)
Shirmohammadi, Y., & Eghbali, S. J. (2024). The effect of food tourism brand on brand shine with the mediating role of brand cognitive perspective (Case study: Green restaurants in Tehran). Green Development Management Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.22077/jgdms.2024.7986.1179 (In Persian)
Shirmohammadi, Y., & Hashemi Baghi, Z. (2021). The effect of literary tourism on increasing re‑visits to tourism destinations through spirituality and authenticity. International Journal of Tourism, Culture & Spirituality, 5(1), 13–36. https://doi.org/10.22133/ijts.2021.136615
Shirmohammadi, Y., & Mavouni, M. A. (2021). Designing a rural women entrepreneurship model in agricultural tourism using a mixed‑method approach. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Agricultural Development, 7(4), 85–102. https://doi.org/10.22069/jead.2021.18868.1465 (In Persian)
Shirmohammadi, Y., & Mohammadi, A. (2022). The effect of augmented reality marketing on tourists’ behavior and experience during the COVID‑19 pandemic: A case study of the virtual tour application of the National Museum of Iran. Tourism Planning and Development, 11(41), 171–200. (In Persian)
Shirmohammadi, Y., Amini, M. T., Nasiri Hendekhaleh, E., & Bahrami, M. (2022). The effect of tourists’ satisfaction from tourist areas on word‑of‑mouth advertising with the mediating role of destination identity: Case study of Rudkhan Castle and Masuleh. Urban Ecology Researches, 13(26), 107–122. https://doi.org/10.30473/grup.2022.50593.2515 (In Persian)
Shirmohammadi, Y., Jalalian, S. E., Hashemi Baghi, Z., & Torkashvand, S. (2019). The role of cultural events in shaping the cognitive and emotional image of a tourist destination: A case study of Karaj City. Tourism Planning and Development, 8(31), 147–161. https://doi.org/10.22080/jtpd.2020.14641.2888 (In Persian)
Smelash, A. G., & Kumar, S. (2020). Tourist satisfaction–loyalty nexus in Tigray, Ethiopia: Implications for sustainable tourism development. Cogent Business & Management, 7, 1836750. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1836750
Su, L. J., Lian, Q., & Huang, Y. (2020). How do tourists’ attributions of destinations’ social responsibility motives impact trust and intention to visit? The moderating role of destination reputation. Tourism Management, 77, 103970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.103970
Taghvaei, M., Moradi, G., & Safarabadi, A. (2010). Investigation and evaluation of Isfahan city parks’ conditions based on existing standards for access of weak and disabled people. Geography and Environmental Planning, 21(2), 47–64. (In Persian)
Tayebnia, S. H. (2020). Evaluating tourist satisfaction and analyzing the factors affecting their satisfaction in the western border cities of Iran (Case study: Marivan City in Kurdistan Province). Geographical Tourism Space Quarterly, 9(36), Fall 2020 issue. (In Persian)
Trimurti, C. P., & Utama, I. G. B. R. (2021). The examination of the Bali destination marketing chain model based on tourists. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 9, 4494–4495.
Zarabi, A., Dehghani Nia, M., & Mansour, M. (2017). Measuring effective factors on enhancing tourism security (Case study: Isfahan metropolis). Social Order and Security Research Journal, 10(4), 109–136. http://magiran.com/p1813645 (In Persian)
Zayyari, K., Pourahmad, A., Hataminejad, H., & Nargani, S. (2021). Adjustment model of tourism spaces for disabled people and veterans: Case study of Yazd City. Urban Tourism, 8(2), 17–33. https://doi.org/10.22059/jut.2020.301945.795
Green Development Management Studies
Volume 4, Special Issue
November 2025
Pages 185-202

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 12 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 15 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 18 November 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics