How Experience Quality Shapes Loyalty: A Stimulus-Organism-Response Perspective in Urban Forest Ecotourism

Research Aims: Urban forests have increasingly emerged as multifunctional spaces that integrate ecological, recreational, and tourism-related roles. This study examines how experience quality shapes tourist loyalty in urban forest ecotourism through a Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework and experience economy theory as a supporting theory. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was employed using a cross-sectional survey of 437 visitors to multiple urban forests and urban parks in Bandung, Indonesia. Experience quality was conceptualized as a multidimensional stimulus encompassing sensory, physical, educational, and social experiences. Perceived well-being and satisfaction were treated as organismic internal states, while pro-environmental behavior and loyalty were positioned as behavioral responses. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Research Findings: The results show that experience quality significantly enhances perceived well-being and satisfaction, which in turn positively influence loyalty. However, perceived well-being and satisfaction do not have significant direct effects on pro-environmental behavior, indicating that environmentally responsible behavior does not arise automatically from positive experiential and psychological states. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: These findings highlight the refining application of the S-O-R framework in urban forest ecotourism and offering practical insights for managing experience-driven loyalty in urban green destinations. Keywords: Experience Quality, Pro-Environmental Behavior, Perceived Well-Being, Satisfaction, Loyalty, Urban Forests