UNLOCKING TOURIST LOYALTY IN HERITAGE DESTINATIONS: ASSESSING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF MEMORABLE TOURISM EXPERIENCES IN SEMEY, KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract This study investigates the structural relationships between visitor engagement, heritage motives, destination image and their impact on revisit intention and electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM), with memorable tourism experience (MTE) as a mediating mechanism in the heritage tourism context of Semey, Kazakhstan. This research utilized a purposive sample of 325 tourists from organized heritage tours to collect data through an online survey. The hypotheses were tested through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results show that visitor engagement and destination image have a significant impact on both MTE and behavioral intentions. Heritage motives influence MTE positively, but they do not have a direct statistically significant effect on revisit intention or eWoM; rather, they influence these outcomes indirectly through MTE. These findings demonstrate the central mediating role of MTE in transforming cognitive and motivational antecedents into loyalty outcomes, emphasizing that experiential quality is an important facilitator in promoting long-term behavioral intentions in heritage destinations.