Understanding urban festival attendees’ involvement in Hong Kong dragon boat festival

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of involvement, satisfaction and festival attachment on urban Dragon Boat Festival (DBF) attendees’ future intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 307 participants of the Hong Kong DBF using a survey instrument. Data was analysed using a series of analytical tools including factor analysis, structural equationmodelling and bootstrap mediation. Findings – Results indicate that festival attendees’ involvement and satisfaction directly influenced future intentions with the DBF, but this was not the case for festival attachment. Consequently, satisfaction is a key puzzle piece for understanding why DBF attendees may not revisit despite a positive attachment to the DBF. Research limitations/implications – The study draws implications for DBF promotion as an urban cultural event. Originality/value – This study sheds light on the key drivers of attendees’ future intentions among both residents and tourists to urban festivals. A noble contribution to knowledge in this regard is that attachment alone is not sufficient to induce loyalty among DBF patrons. Essentially, satisfaction is a vital element for repeat visits. The study also makes important distinctions in determining elements of attachment.