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This study examines the relationships between perceived quality, value, visitor satisfaction, and loyalty in a new context—Shiogama, Japan—a seaside town with a population of 55,000 residents that is famous for its cultural attractions and attracts over 2 million visitors per annum. Drawing on theories from tourism, marketing, and destination management, we hypothesize that perceived quality of destination attributes, as well perceived value of the experience, will have a direct positive effect on tourist satisfaction. Tourist satisfaction is hypothesized to be a direct driver of loyalty to the destination. The research also examines the extent to which the origin of the domestic tourist moderates the relationships between perceived quality, perceived value, and satisfaction. A research questionnaire was used to collect responses from 436 visitors to Shiogama's tourist attractions in 2015. Perceived quality was operationalized to capture the unique attributes of Shiogama. Results of the exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analysis found that the perceived quality of Shiogama's attributes, including the city's local restaurants, atmosphere, and souvenirs, have a significant positive effect on visitor satisfaction. Perceived value of the destination, measured through visitors' perceptions of costs and benefit of the travel experience, was also significantly and positively related to satisfaction. Visitor satisfaction was significantly and positively related to destination loyalty, validating previous research on the predictors of destination loyalty. We found that visitors to Shiogama from different regions of Japan engaged in different activities and attractions, highlighting the heterogeneity of Shiogama's inbound domestic market segments. The study presents new insights on the operationalization of perceived quality and the predictors of tourist satisfaction and loyalty toward a destination. The findings are also relevant to industry practitioners and destination managers as they seek to understand the heterogeneous needs and behaviors of their inbound market segments.

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This paper uses the tourism destination competitiveness framework to support the formulation of a tourism development strategy for the Miyagi Zaō mountains area in Japan. The study area experienced major disruptions associated with the 2011 earthquake, the Fukushima nuclear accident, and the 2015 and 2018 volcanic eruption warnings. The disasters had a significant impact on tourism, which plays a key role in the sustainability of Zaō town and the surrounding region. Zaō town is faced with an aging population and a shrinking economy. A survey of visitors (demand side) and local company representatives (supply side) was conducted to determine perceived strengths and weaknesses of the regional tourism destination. Nature-based activities were awarded the highest scores by both sides. Based on the findings from the destination competitiveness analysis, a nature-centric tourism development strategy is proposed to achieve destination competitiveness and sustainability of the local society and the natural environment.