지역축제 서비스 품질이 지역재방문 의도에 미치는 영향: 지역 브랜드 이미지의 매개효과 및 지역축제 관여도의 조절효과 = The Effects of Regional Festival Service Quality on Revisit Intention : The Mediating Role of Regional Brand Image and the Moderating Role of Festival Involvement

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study was initiated from the awareness that a multidimensional understanding of the success factors of regional festivals is required in order to achieve sustainable competitiveness. While local governments across Korea have actively utilized their unique cultural resources to organize various regional festivals with the aim of attracting tourists and revitalizing local economies, the rapid quantitative growth of festivals has not been accompanied by qualitative differentiation or sustainability. In particular, there has been a growing recognition that the focus of regional festival development should shift from merely increasing visitor numbers to fostering positive regional images and encouraging revisits, thereby promoting sustainable tourism development.
Accordingly, the present study empirically examines the psychological mechanism through which regional festival experiences influence visitors’ perceptions and behavioral intentions. Specifically, the research investigates the effect of regional festival service quality on visitors’ intention to revisit, focusing on the mediating role of regional brand image and the moderating effect of festival involvement. Through this integrative approach, the study aims to clarify how the quality of festival experiences translates into both cognitive and behavioral outcomes among visitors.
In the theoretical background section, key concepts and prior studies related to regional festival service quality, regional brand image, revisit intention, and festival involvement were reviewed. Previous research has identified festival service quality as a critical factor determining visitor satisfaction and loyalty (Baker and Crompton, 2000). Moreover, regional brand image functions as a psychological asset that affects destination competitiveness and predicts tourists’ behavioral intentions (Keller, 1993; Boo et al., 2009). Festival involvement represents the degree of importance and emotional engagement individuals attach to specific activities (Zaichkowsky, 1985), which significantly shapes their attitudes and behavioral responses (Havitz and Dimanche, 1990). Based on these findings, this study proposed a mediating pathway from service quality to brand image and revisit intention, and further hypothesized that festival involvement would moderate the relationship between service quality and revisit intention. The research thus sought to comprehensively identify the process by which festival experiences are transformed into visitors’ behavioral intentions.
For empirical verification, this study conducted a structured survey targeting adults who had attended at least one regional festival within the past year. A total of 320 questionnaires were distributed through both online and offline channels, and 300 valid responses were retained for analysis. All items were measured using a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Measurement variables were adapted and refined based on existing, validated instruments to ensure reliability and validity. Specifically, regional festival service quality was operationalized to reflect key experiential dimensions such as program quality, facility quality, service and information quality, and accessibility. Regional brand image was measured through perceived regional awareness, image enhancement, favorability, and motivation to visit. Revisit intention included willingness to revisit, intention to recommend, and willingness to attend other festivals in the same region. Festival involvement was measured by interest, information-seeking behavior, perceived importance, and pursuit of new experiences.
The data were analyzed using SPSS 25, jamovi 2.7.5, and SmartPLS 4. The analytical procedure consisted of (1) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to verify the measurement model, (2) assessment of reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity, and (3) hypothesis testing through structural equation modeling (SEM) using 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s α and composite reliability (CR), with most factor loadings exceeding .70 and average variance extracted (AVE) values above .50. Discriminant validity was verified using the Fornell-Larcker criterion, and all latent variables satisfied the established reliability and validity standards.
The constructs were defined as follows:
First, regional festival service quality was developed based on Parasuraman et al.’s (1988) SERVQUAL model, Baker and Crompton (2000), and Kim and Jeon (2007), and consisted of five items: program, facility, service and information, accessibility, and overall satisfaction.
Second, regional brand image was designed with reference to Keller’s (1993) customer-based brand equity model and Boo et al. (2009), comprising four items: regional awareness, image improvement, favorability, and strengthened motivation to visit.
Third, revisit intention was measured using three items adapted from Zeithaml et al. (1996) and Yoon and Uysal (2005): intention to revisit, willingness to recommend, and intention to attend other festivals within the same region.
Fourth, festival involvement was developed based on Zaichkowsky (1985) and Gursoy et al. (2004), including four items: interest, information-seeking behavior, importance, and experiential pursuit.
The structural model analysis produced the following key results. First, regional festival service quality had a significant positive effect on regional brand image (standardized coefficient β = .69, p < .001), indicating that the higher the perceived service quality, the more favorable the cognitive and emotional evaluation of the host region. Second, regional brand image positively influenced revisit intention (β = .51, p < .001), confirming that the positive image formed through festival experiences leads to visitors’ behavioral intentions to revisit or recommend. Third, the direct effect of service quality on revisit intention was also significant (β = .21, p < .05), suggesting that perceived quality itself can directly enhance revisit intention even without the mediation of brand image.
The mediation analysis revealed that the total effect of service quality on revisit intention was .49 (p < .001), with a direct effect of .25 (p < .001) and an indirect effect of .24 (p < .001), all statistically significant. However, because the indirect effect was smaller than the direct effect, the hypothesis of full mediation by brand image was not supported. This finding indicates that while service quality indirectly increases revisit intention through brand image, the indirect effect does not surpass the direct influence, meaning brand image functions as a partial but not dominant mediator.
Finally, the moderating effect analysis demonstrated that festival involvement significantly strengthened the relationship between service quality and revisit intention (β = .67, p = .001). In other words, visitors with higher levels of involvement exhibited a stronger linkage between perceived service quality and behavioral intentions to revisit, implying that personal engagement amplifies the transition from cognitive evaluation to behavioral response.
Synthesizing these findings, the study concludes that the success of regional festivals is jointly driven by three interrelated factors: (1) enhancement of perceived service quality, (2) establishment of a positive regional brand image, and (3) cultivation of highly involved visitor segments. Improving service quality enhances brand image and revisit intention, and this effect is further magnified among highly involved participants. However, given that brand image did not fully mediate the service quality-revisit intention relationship, it is recommended that practical strategies simultaneously reinforce the immediate direct effects of service quality while fostering long-term brand-building initiatives through positive festival experiences.
In conclusion, this study empirically verified the integrated relationship linking service quality, brand image, and behavioral intention within the context of regional festivals, while demonstrating that the strength of these relationships depends significantly on visitors’ levels of involvement. The findings highlight that both theoretical models and practical festival management should adopt a holistic approach encompassing service design, regional branding, and audience segmentation strategies. This comprehensive framework provides valuable insights for advancing sustainable regional tourism and enhancing the long-term competitiveness of local cultural festivals.

Key word: Regional Festival, Service Quality, Regional Brand Image, Revisit Intention, Festival Involvement, Sustainable Tourism

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 서 론 01
• 1. 연구의 배경 및 필요성 01
• 2. 연구 목적 03
• 3. 연구 구성 04
• Ⅱ. 이론적 배경 07
• 1. 지역축제 서비스 품질 08
• 1) 서비스 품질의 개념 및 의미 08
• 2) 관광 및 축제 맥락에서의 서비스 품질 10
• 3) 지역축제 서비스 품질의 구성요인 12
• 4) 서비스 품질이 방문자 만족 및 행동의도에 미치는 영향 14
• 5) 지역축제 서비스 품질 관련 선행연구 검토 16
• 2. 지역 브랜드 이미지 20
• 1) 브랜드 이미지의 개념 및 이론 20
• 2) 지역 브랜드와 장소 마케팅(Place Branding)의 개념 21
• 3) 지역 브랜드와 브랜드 이미지 형성의 관계 23
• 4) 지역 브랜드 이미지의 선행요인과 영향요인 25
• 5) 지역 브랜드 이미지 관련 선행연구 검토 27
• 3. 지역축제 관여도 31
• 1) 관여도의 개념 31
• 2) 축제 및 관광 맥락에서의 관여도 연구 33
• 3) 관여도의 유형 35
• 4) 지역축제 관여도에 관한 선행연구 고찰 37
• 4. 지역재방문 의도 40
• 1) 재방문 의도의 개념 40
• 2) 관광 및 축제 맥락에서의 재방문 행동 연구 42
• 3) 지역재방문 의도에 영향을 미치는 주요 요인 44
• 4) 지역재방문 의도 관련 선행연구 검토 46
• Ⅲ. 연구 방법 49
• 1. 변수의 조작적 정의 49
• 1) 지역축제 서비스 품질 49
• 2) 지역 브랜드 이미지 50
• 3) 지역축제 관여도 52
• 4) 지역재방문 의도 53
• 2. 연구모형 및 가설 제시 55
• 1) 지역축제 서비스 품질과 지역 브랜드 이미지의 관계 55
• 2) 지역 브랜드 이미지와 지역재방문 의도의 관계 57
• 3) 지역축제 서비스 품질과 지역재방문 의도의 관계 59
• 4) 지역축제 서비스 품질과 지역재방문 의도 간의 관계에서 지역 브랜드 이미지의 매개효과 60
• 5) 지역축제 서비스 품질과 지역재방문 의도 간의 관계에서 지역축제 관여도의 조절효과 62
• 3. 측정 도구 64
• 1) 지역축제 서비스 품질 64
• 2) 지역 브랜드 이미지 64
• 3) 지역축제 재방문 의도 65
• 4) 지역축제 관여도 65
• 4. 조사 설계 65
• 1) 조사 대상, 방법 및 기간 65
• 2) 분석 방법 66
• Ⅳ. 연구 결과 68
• 1. 표본(응답자) 특성 68
• 2. 타당도 및 신뢰도 69
• 1) 구성 타당도 및 신뢰도 69
• 2) 판별 타당도 71
• 3. 가설 검증 73
• 1) 직접 효과 74
• 2) 지역 브랜드 이미지의 간접 효과 75
• 3) 지역재방문 의도에 대한 지역축제 서비스 품질과 지역축제 관여도의 조절 효과 76
• 4. 가설 검증 종합 및 연구모형 78
• Ⅴ. 결 론 79
• 1. 연구 요약 79
• 2. 이론적 시사점 82
• 3. 실무적 시사점 84
• 4. 연구의 한계 및 향후 연구 방향 87
• 참 고 문 헌 91
• 영 문 초 록 102
• 설 문 지 108