Arup Kumar Baksi
Abstract:
Traditional crafts play a major role in enhancing the attractiveness of a destination. Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) have embraced this phenomenon and associate crafts with visitors’ cognitive self. The recently coined term “Craftourism” further illustrates this growing integration of visitors with the conceptualisation and production process of various local crafts. This paper examines the impact of emotional bonding on destination loyalty from the visitors’ perspective with craftourism as a possible moderator. Surveying destinations with rich traditions of handmade crafts and using appropriate statistical tools to assess the relationship between variables, the findings reveal that craftourism plays a significant moderating role in enhancing destination loyalty of visitors by strengthening their emotional bond with the said destination.
Keywords: Craft, destination loyalty, emotional bonding, visitor