Corresponding Author: Yaqubov Abdullojon

INTRODUCTION

The tourism sector in Palembang city shows a significant increase in 2022. This can be seen from the number of tourists who visit Palembang. According to Amin, the Tourism Head of Palembang, more than 1.4 million tourists were visiting Palembang. This number of tourists has increased by five hundred thousand tourists in the last year (Baiduri, 2022). The visitors usually go to Ampera Bridge or Benteng Kuto Besak as their destination. However, for nature tourism, they have Punti Kayu.

The concept of tourism with the natural environment can be called Ecotourism. The earliest definition of Ecotourism came from The International Ecotourism Society (TIES). They define Ecotourism as responsible travel to natural areas that converses with the environment and can sustain the local people's lives (Wood, 2002). In addition, Ecotourism aims to educate visitors about the importance of conservation. The concept of Ecotourism has grown fast in the last decades.

Punti Kayu Nature Park is located in the middle of Palembang city. It is a nature conservation area for tourism destinations and recreation activities. This place has become a favorite recreation destination for locals, especially on weekends and holidays. As the most significant inner-city nature tourism, Punti Kayu has more than 80% of its land as conservation land (Baiduri, 2022). With all of these facilities, Punti Kayu has an image as one of the nature tourism destinations in Palembang City. The current situation in Punti Kayu is that many people visit the visiting holiday. For example, during the Christmas holiday, the number of visitors can reach 3,000 to 4,000 visitors. The visitors also can get a 20 percent discount if they come with a family or group. The visitors come from local visitors to other provinces such as Lampung, Bengkulu, and Jambi (Pramana, 2023). It is essential to build loyalty in Punti Kayu, so the visitors will visit Punti Kayu on certain holidays and weekdays.

Punti Kayu adopts the ecotourism concept, with pine trees as the majority. Research shows that Punti Kayu is a recreation place and a protection place and preservation for various flora and fauna (Teguh et al., 2010). This objective is critical to understand because visitors can directly or indirectly disturb them. As we know, a tourism destination aims to satisfy visitors. Previous research said loyal tourists are expected to visit and enjoy nature as their motives for tourism (Hermawan et al., 2019). These kinds of tourists are willing to pay entrance fees to experience nature more.ï¿½

Tourist loyalty can only be sometimes created. Loyalty comes from customer attitudes and behavior towards service and repeat usage. (Kotler & Keller, 2016) Defined loyalty as the desire to maintain the product or service in the future, even if there is switching brands or a new business that is more attractive is coming. In this situation, loyal tourists are less price sensitive, willing to pay for the visit and recommend it to other people (Pujiastuti et al., 2023). Tourist loyalty is essential in supporting destination promotion without spending on marketing costs. Loyalty is related to satisfaction, trip quality, perceived value, and destination image (Chen & Chen, 2010).

Satisfaction is a feeling of pleasure or disappointment as a result of comparing a product's performance to their expectations (Kotler & Keller, 2016). In tourism, tourist satisfaction refers to the service and experience during the trip. Tourists will feel satisfied in Punti Kayu when their experience exceeds their expectations about visiting Punti Kayu. In the psychology aspect, (Jill, 2015) stated that loyalty is a psychological situation that consists of satisfaction with products and services and also has an emotional relationship between the customer and the company. It may have happened when the tourist's expectations towards the attributes of the tourism destination match the reality. Satisfied tourists will come back to visit the destination, and this research is done by Punti Kayu (Wiyono, 2019). Previous research found that satisfaction influences loyalty (Adi et al., 2019). Other research also found a similar outcome: satisfaction has a direct positive effect on tourist loyalty (Amadeus et al., 2023).

Perceived value arises when visitors can feel the benefit of the service. It can be defined as the differences between the customer's evaluation of all the benefits and costs of an offering and the perceived alternative (Kotler & Keller, 2016). In this case, the visitors enjoy Punti Kayu as an ecotourism destination and evaluate the benefits of visiting Punti Kayu with the costs sacrificed. Perceived value can support visitor's loyalty to increase their visiting frequency, and they do not want to move to another place.

Safety is a basic need of tourists. Tourists are susceptible to safety issues such as security, disasters, and viruses. Punti Kayu must be concerned about safety during tourist trips. When Punti Kayu is not committed to providing ade a security system for visitors, they will be satisfied with Punti Kayu because they will fear for their safety (Hermawan et al., 2019). The safety felt by visitors in Punti Kayu is attractive to research because tourists will consider safety first for satisfaction.ï¿½ï¿½

Accordingly, this research investigates the relationships between perceived value, perceived safety, destination image, tourist satisfaction, and ecotourism destination loyalty. This research can provide evidence that ecotourism management can also increase understanding of tourist behavior and sustain the development of future strategies. Thus, this research examines the positive effect of perceived value, perceived safety, and destination image as the mediating effect of satisfaction at an ecotourism destination in Palembang City, Punti Kayu.

Previous research about perceived value was done with various outcomes. Other research found that perceived value has an effect on customer satisfaction and also affects customer loyalty in the culinary business (Adi et al., 2019). The other research also found that perceived value and destination image had a significant impact on tourist satisfaction and loyalty, and tourist satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between perceived value and tourist loyalty and between destination image and loyalty of sports tourists (Jeong & Kim, 2020). Other research showed that perceived value did not affect customer satisfaction. Still, it positively affected loyalty and satisfaction, and the median dates back to the relationship between perceived value and customer loyalty in halal destinations (Sidestinationsl. Sinatra Besides that, they also found that destination image had a negative effect on loyalty and a positive effect on satisfaction. Satisfaction can also not mediate the relationship between destination image and loyalty in that research. Research about perceived safety was done (Cui et al., 2015) and found that safety affected loyalty through satisfaction in tourism purchasing. However, research found that safety is not proven to affect loyalty, even if it has an impact on satisfaction (Hermawan et al., 2019). The previous research put perceived value and destination image altogether as independent variables, and this research added safety as an independent variable because safety is an essential factor to be concerned about in Ecotourism, which is strongly related to the natural environment.

Based on the above background, the purpose of this study is to determine and analyze how tourist satisfaction can mediate ecotourism destination loyalty through perceived value, perceived safety, and destination image. Therefore, the benefit of this research is to provide a deeper insight into how tourist loyalty is built in Punti Kayu, Palembang, as an ecotourism destination. By understanding the factors that influence loyalty, both directly and through mediators such as traveler satisfaction, destination managers can develop more effective strategies to increase visitor loyalty. And by knowing the role of tourist satisfaction as a mediator, destination managers can allocate resources more efficiently. They can focus on improving factors such as perceived value, perceived safety, and destination image that positively influence satisfaction, thus indirectly increasing visitor loyalty. By increasing tourist loyalty, Punti Kayu ecotourism destination can become more economically and ecologically sustainable.

METHOD

This research focused on tourist satisfaction and loyalty to Ecotourism in Punti Kayu, Palembang City. This research uses quantitative methods. The population of this study were tourists in Palembang city. The number of samples selected based on Malhotra (2006: 291), the research sample is at least five times the number of questions in the questionnaire. In this study, there were 35 questions in the questionnaire, so the sample size was 175, which were selected by purposive sampling. They must have visited Punti Kayu at least once and be over 17 years old. Data was collected using a questionnaire using a Likert scale. Data was collected in January 2023 through Google Forms. The data analysis techniques used were descriptive statistical analysis for sample characteristics, classical assumption test consisting of normality test, heteroscedasticity test, multicollinearity test, multiple regression analysis, and Sobel test. Regression analysis is used to determine the impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable, whether it has a positive or negative impact, even if there is no impact. Then, the Sobel test is used to determine the mediating effect of the mediating variable (tourist satisfaction) in the path analysis. All tests were conducted using SPSS 27 software.

The theoretical framework as a research model can be described in the following diagram:

Figure 1. Theoretical Framework

Based on the diagram above, the following hypothesis is obtained:

H₁	:	Perceived value has a positive effect on tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu
H₂	:	Perceived safety has a positive effect on tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu
H₃	:	Destination image has a positive effect on tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu
H₄	:	Tourist satisfaction has a positive effect on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu
H₅	:	Perceived value has a positive effect on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu
H₆	:	Perceived safety has a positive effect on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu
H₇	:	Destination image has a positive effect on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu
H₈	:	Tourist satisfaction mediates the effect of perceived value on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu
H₉	:	Tourist satisfaction mediates the effect of perceived safety on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu
H₁₀	:	Tourist satisfaction mediates the effect of destination image on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The demographic characteristics of respondents consist of four questions: gender, age, monthly income, and frequency of visiting Punti Kayu. This research is dominated by people of male gender, aged 21 ï¿½ 30 years old, IDR 2.000.001 ï¿½ 3.000.000 monthly income, and two times visiting Punti Kayu as an ecotourism destination. The outcome of the data collected can be seen in the table below:

Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Respondents

Questions	Categories	Frequencies	Percentage (%)
Gender	Male	102	58.3
Gender	Female	73	41.7
Age	< 20	39	22.3
	21 ï¿½ 30	63	36
	31 ï¿½ 40	49	28
	> 40	24	13.7
Monthly Income (IDR)	1 000 000	7	4
	1 000 001 ï¿½ 2 000 000	22	12.6
	2 000 001 ï¿½ 3 000 000	45	25.7
	3 000 001 ï¿½ 4 000 000	24	13.7
	4 000 001 ï¿½ 5 000 000	42	24
	> 5 000 000	35	20
Frequency of Visiting	One time	44	25.1
	Two times	60	34.3
	Three times	43	24.6
	> 3 times	28	16

Source: Primary Data (2024)

Validity and Reliability

Table 2. Validity and Reliability Test

Variable	Statement	R-value	Cronbachï¿½s Alpha
Perceived Value (PV)	PV1	0.713	0.892
	PV2	0.713
	PV3	0.755
	PV4	0.722
	PV5	0.675
	PV6	0.691
Perceived Safety (SAF)	SAF1	0.555	0.889
	SAF2	0.639
	SAF3	0.648
	SAF4	0.653
	SAF5	0.711
	SAF6	0.599
	SAF7	0.584
	SAF8	0.687
	SAF9	0.711
Destination Image (DI)	DI1	0.666	0.890
	DI2	0.603
	DI3	0.676
	DI4	0.678
	DI5	0.525
	DI6	0.664
	DI7	0.709
	DI8	0.652
	DI9	0.642
Tourist Satisfaction (SAT)	SAT1	0.710	0.903
	SAT2	0.668
	SAT3	0.800
	SAT4	0.745
	SAT5	0.760
	SAT6	0.736
Ecotourism Destination Loyalty (LOY)	LOY1	0.757	0.905
	LOY2	0.784
	LOY3	0.741
	LOY4	0.850
	LOY5	0.688

Source: Primary Data (2024)

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Based on Table 2 above, each variable's statement has an R-value more than the R table. The R table for 175 samples is 0.1484 (with df = n ï¿½ 2). This means that all the questionnaire statements can measure the variables (Ghozali, 2016). In the same table, table 2, Cronbach's Alpha for perceived value is 0.892, perceived safety is 0.889, destination image is 0.890, tourist satisfaction is 0.903, and ecotourism destination loyalty is 0.905. All of the Cronbach's Alpha values are more than 0.6, so all statements are reliable. Reliable ensures that respondents have consistent answers to the questionnaire.

Classic Assumption Analysis

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The classic assumption test of this research consists of a normality test, multicollinearity test, and heteroscedasticity test. The results of classic assumption tests are shown in the table below:

Table 3. Results of Classic Assumption Analysis

Classic Assumption Test	Results	Conclusion
Normality Test	Sig = 0.200	Normal distribution
Multicollinearity 1	Tolerance (PV = 0.412, SAF = 0.300, DI = 0.238) VIF (PV = 2.428, SAF = 3.330, DI = 4.201)	No multicollinearity
Multicollinearity 2	Tolerance (PV = 0.381, SAF = 0.291, DI = 0.199, SAT = 0.292) VIF (PV = 2.623, SAF = 3.431, DI = 5.037, SAT = 3.420)	No multicollinearity
Heteroscedasticity Test	PV = 0.200 SAF = 0.285 DI = 0.248 SAT = 0.078	No heteroscedasticity

Source: Primary Data (2024)

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The normality test is done by using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. From Table 3 above, the significance is 0.200, and it is higher than 0.05. when the significance value is more than 0.05, the data distribution is normally distributed. Then, in the multicollinearity test, there is no multicollinearity indication. This can be known from tolerance and VIF value. A regression model is free from multicollinearity when the tolerance is higher than 0.01, and VIF is lower than 10. The last is the heteroscedasticity test using the Spearman-rho test. In this test, the absolute residual is used for regression. The regression model does not indicate heteroscedasticity if the significance value exceeds 0.05 (Ghozali, 2016).

Multiple Regression Analysis and Hypothesis Testing

Table 4. Result of Multiple Regression Analysis I

(Tourist Satisfaction as Dependent Variable)

Variable	Regression Coefficient	t	Sig.	Conclusion
Constant	1.214
Perceived Value	0.232	3.703	0.001	Significant
Perceived Safety	0.124	2.271	0.024	Significant
Destination Image	0.346	5.833	0.001	Significant
F = 0.001 Adj R² = 0.702

Source: Primary Data (2024)

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ ï¿½From Table 4 above, tourist satisfaction becomes the dependent variable (Y₁). The regression equation from this model is Y₁ = 1.214 + 0.232 X₁ + 0.124 X₂ + 0.346 X₃. It means:

1. Constanta is 1.214 and positive, which means when the perceived value, perceived safety, and destination image are constant, the tourist satisfaction value is 1.124.

2. The coefficient value of perceived value (X₁) is 0.232, and positive indicates that if the perceived value of Punti Kayu is increased, tourist satisfaction will also increase, assuming that the other is constant.

3. The perceived safety (X₂) coefficient is positive and 0.124. This outcome illustrates that the higher the perceived safety in Punti Kayu, the higher tourist satisfaction with other variables is constant.

4. The destination image (X₃) has a coefficient value of 0.346 and is positive. This means that if destination image increases, tourist satisfaction increases, with other variables being constant.

Then, the hypothesis can be drawn from Sig. Value. Based on Table 4 above, the consecutive values of perceived value, perceived safety, and destination image are 3.703, 2.271, and 5.833. On the other hand, the significant value for perceived value is 0.001, perceived safety is 0.024, and destination image is 0.001. Suppose the significance values are less than 0.05. In that case, it means that H₁ (perceived value has a positive effect on tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu), H₂ (Perceived safety has a positive impact on tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu), and H₃ (destination image has a positive impact on tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu accepted.

Table 5. Result of Multiple Regression Analysis II

(Ecotourism Destination Loyalty as Dependent Variable)

Variable	Regression Coefficient	t	Sig.	Conclusion
Constant	-1.790
Perceived Value	0.142	2.177	0.031	Significant
Perceived Safety	0.076	1.377	0.170	Not significant
Destination Image	0.133	2.051	0.042	Significant
Tourist Satisfaction	0.459	6.006	0.001	Significant
F = 0.001 Adj R² = 0.697

Source: Primary Data (2024)

Table 5 shows regression analysis and hypothesis test while ecotourism destination loyalty becomes the dependent variable. Regression equation for this model is Y2 = -1.790 + 0.142 X₁ + 0.076 X₂ + 0.133 X₃+ 0.459 Y₁. Here is the explanation of the regression equation:

1. Constanta is -1.790, and negative means that when the perceived value, perceived safety, destination image, and tourist satisfaction are constant, the loyalty is -1.790.

2. The coefficient value of perceived value (X₁) is 0.142 and positive. It means that if the perceived value of Punti Kayu is increased, ecotourism destination loyalty will also increase, assuming that the other is constant.

3. The perceived safety (X₂) coefficient is positive and 0.076. This indicates that the increase in perceived safety in Punti Kayu and ecotourism destination loyalty are also increasing, along with other constant variables.

4. The destination image (X₃) has a coefficient value of 0.133, and it is positive. This means that if destination image is increased, ecotourism destination loyalty also increases, with other variables being constant.

5. The tourist satisfaction (Y₁) coefficient is 0.459, and it is positive. This states that increasing tourist satisfaction will increase tourist loyalty to ecotourism destinations when perceived value, perceived safety, and destination image are constant.

For the hypothesis test, it can be known from column t and Sig. In this column, the t value of perceived value is 2.177, perceived safety is 1.377, destination image is 2.051, and tourist satisfaction is 6.006. Then, the significant values of perceived value, perceived safety, destination image, and tourist satisfaction serially are 0.031, 0.170, 0.042, and 0.001. The significance of value, perceived value, destination image, and tourist satisfaction impact ecotourism destination loyalty. However, perceived safety does not impact ecotourism destination loyalty because its significant value is more than 0.05. In this model, H₄, H₅, and H₇ are accepted, and H6 is rejected.

Result of Sobel Test

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ The Sobel test aims to know the mediation effect of tourist satisfaction towards tourist loyalty in visiting Punti Kayu. Tourist satisfaction can mediate tourist loyalty when the significance value of one-tailed is lower than 0.05. The result of the Sobel test can be seen in the table below:

Table 6. Mediation Effect of Tourist Satisfaction Towards Ecotourism

ï¿½Destination Loyalty in Punti Kayu Using Sobel Test

Mediating Variable	Sobel Test Statistic	One-tailed Probability	Results
Perceived Value ï¿½ Tourist Satisfaction ï¿½ Ecotourism Destination Loyalty	3.14979811	0.00081692	Able to do mediation
Perceived Safety ï¿½ Tourist Satisfaction ï¿½ Ecotourism Destination Loyalty	2.77053155	0.00279824	Able to do mediation
Destination Image ï¿½ Tourist Satisfaction ï¿½ Ecotourism Destination Loyalty	4.93308818	0.00000040	Able to do mediation

Source: Primary Data (2024)

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ Based on Table 6 above, the result of the Sobel test can be known from the one-tailed probability column. The value of the one-tailed probability for perceived value is 0.00081692, indicating that tourist satisfaction mediates the impact of perceived value toward tourist loyalty in Punti Kayu. On the other hand, the Sobel test for perceived safety and destination image for a row are 0.00279824 and 0.00000040. This means that tourist satisfaction can mediate the impact of perceived safety towards ecotourism destination loyalty and destination image on ecotourism destination loyalty in Palembang. So, H8, H9, and H10 are accepted in this analysis.

Impact of Perceived Value Towards Tourist Satisfaction

Research results show that perceived value positively impacts tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu. This result explains that the higher the value that is given to tourist, their satisfaction will be higher too. So, the management of Punti Kayu should keep the comfort of Punti Kayu so the tourists can feel more relaxed being there. Punti Kayu also must make some improvements in their activities because some tourists need unforgettable experiences during their trips. Besides that, this result has the same outcome as (Wulandani, 2022), who also found that perceived value positively and significantly impacted tourist satisfaction.

Impact of Perceived Safety Towards Tourist Satisfaction

The result shows that perceived safety positively impacts tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu. This means that an increase follows the increase in perceived safety and tourist satisfaction. The implication is that the tourists are aware of the warning sign provided by Punti Kayu. This is a good sign for Punti Kayu because the tourists are concerned about safety during their trip to Punti Kayu. However, Punti Kayu management must improve facilities' safety because this point has the lowest score. This result is suitable with (Hermawan et al., 2019), who also find that perceived safety positively impacts tourist satisfaction.

Impact of Destination Image Towards Tourist Satisfaction

The result shows that destination image positively impacts tourist satisfaction in Punti Kayu. When the destination image increases, tourist satisfaction will increase, too. This result is the same as previous research's (Jeong & Kim, 2020). This result implies that Punti Kayu is free from air pollution. Punti Kayu management must keep the fresh air to build satisfaction among the tourists. The suggestion for Punti Kayu related to destination image is to keep attention to the species of unique animal.

Impact of Tourist Satisfaction Towards Ecotourism Destination Loyalty

The result shows that tourist satisfaction positively impacts ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu, Palembang City. This outcome was supported by previous research, which was done by (Sinatra et al., 2022) and (Adi et al., 2019), that had similar outcomes. When the tourists are satisfied with their trip to Punti Kayu, they can be loyal tourists who will visit Punti Kayu in the future. They also feel that they have no regrets when visiting this ecotourism destination. So, the management of Punti Kayu must keep on track to fulfill tourist satisfaction during their trip.ï¿½

Impact of Perceived Value Towards Ecotourism Destination Loyalty

Based on the results, it is known that perceived value positively impacts ecotourism destination loyalty, so the higher the perceived value of Punti Kayu, the higher the loyalty of tourists. The implication is that Punti Kayu management can add more information about their service, such as the names of flora and fauna, as a little bit of detail. So, the tourist can get some knowledge during their trip. This result has a similar outcome to (Sinatra et al., 2022), (Adi et al., 2019), and (Jeong & Kim, 2020), who found that perceived value had a positive relationship with loyalty, in this case etc, tourism destination loyalty.

Impact of Perceived Safety Towards Ecotourism Destination Loyalty

During the research, it was found that perceived safety has no impact on ecotourism destination loyalty. This finding can be seen from the significant value of perceived value is 0.170 (in Table 5), which is more than 0.05. The result is at odds with the previous research done by (Cui et al., 2015) that found perceived safety positively impacts loyalty. However, another earlier study by (Hermawan et al., 2019) has a similar result with this research. This difference can happen because of different sample characteristics and objects. Providing safety to the tourists is an obligation of Punti Kayu to prevent an incident from occurring during the tourists' trip.

Impact of Destination Image Towards Ecotourism Destination Loyalty

The result shows that the destination image of Punti Kayu has a positive impact on ecotourism destination loyalty. This means that Punti Kayu has a good impression on tourists. This result is similar to previous research done by (Jeong and Kim, 2020) that found the positive impact of destination image on loyalty. The implication is that the management of Punti Kayu must keep a good image in the tourists' minds.

The Mediation Effect of Tourist Satisfaction on Perceived Value to Ecotourism Destination Loyalty

Research results show that perceived value impacts Ecotourism destination loyalty with satisfaction as the mediation variable. Other research also found that satisfaction can mediate the effect of perceived value on loyalty (Adi et al., 2019); (Jeong & Kim, 2020). From this result, the implication is that in terms of increasing tourist loyalty, the management of Punti Kayu should add some performances, such as attractions, so tourists can feel satisfied and willing to visit again.

The Mediation Effect of Tourist Satisfaction on Perceived Safety to Ecotourism Destination Loyalty

Based on the result, tourist satisfaction can mediate the effect of perceived safety towards ecotourism destination loyalty. The implication is that the management of Punti Kayu can maintain their facilities to guarantee tourists' safety. Besides that, they also can add a trash bin in another spot to keep the environment clean and tidy. When Punti Kayu ensures that tourist safety is essential, the tourists will be satisfied and go to Punti Kayu again, even recommending it to their friends.

The Mediation Effect of Tourist Satisfaction on Destination Image to Ecotourism Destination Loyalty

The results show that tourist satisfaction can mediate the effect of destination image on ecotourism destination loyalty in Punti Kayu. From this result, the management of Punti Kayu can do innovations such as adding some indoor rest areas for visitors. They already have a good image in the tourist's mind, which should be maintained in the future. The positive image of Punti Kayu will bring satisfaction to tourists, and then the satisfaction is followed by loyalty. Previous research also found that destination image positively affects tourist loyalty, which is mediated by tourist satisfaction (Amadeus et al., 2023); (Pujiastuti et al., 2023).

CONCLUSION

Findings showed positive and significant impacts of perceived value, safety, and destination image on tourist satisfaction. Then, perceived value and destination image positively impact ecotourism destination loyalty. However, perceived safety does not have an impact on ecotourism destination loyalty. Tourist satisfaction also affects ecotourism destination loyalty. The Sobel test demonstrated that tourist satisfaction fully mediates the effect between perceived value and ecotourism destination loyalty, between perceived safety and ecotourism destination loyalty, and between destination image and destination loyalty. Based on these results, the contributions of this research are to demonstrate empirical evidence of the tourist satisfaction mediation effect and also give information to Punti Kayu as an ecotourism destination in Palembang City to consider the value, safety, and image for sustaining their success.

Although this research proves the mediation effect of tourist satisfaction, it still has several limitations. The first limitation is about external variables such as tourist expectations and motivation. The second one is satisfaction, which is examined as a potential mediator towards loyalty. Nevertheless, it still has other potential mediators such as place attachment, which should be investigated in future research.

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