The Effect of Tourists’ Brand Experience in Incheon Smart Tourism City on Trust, Identification, and Loyalty

Purpose: This study explores how different dimensions of brand experience influence tourist trust and loyalty in smart tourism cities. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response(SOR) framework, the study examines sensory, emotional, behavioral, and intellectual brand experiences and their effect on the identification and loyalty of tourists within the evolving landscape of smart tourism. Methods: The study utilized a survey distributed through the Embrain online platform to Korean individuals experienced with smart tourism cities. A total of 310 valid responses from 342 collected were analyzed using SPSS and Smart PLS for frequency, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, reliability testing, and structural equation modeling. Results: Results revealed that sensory, emotional, and cognitive experiences positively influenced tourists' trust, with emotional experiences having the most significant impact. However, behavioral experiences did not show a significant effect. Importantly, trust in the smart tourism city significantly influenced both tourist identification and loyalty, with tourist-city identification directly enhancing loyalty. Conclusion: This research provides valuable insights for the development of branding strategies in smart tourism cities, demonstrating the substantial impact of experiential factors on psychological connection and behavioral changes among tourists.