PERCEIVED VALUE, EXPERIENTIAL CO-CREATION AND LOYALTY OUTCOMES OF ADVENTURE TOURISM IN KERALA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/ShodhPrabandhan.v3.i3.2026.152Keywords:
Adventure Tourism, Natural Exploration, Perceived Value, Experiential Co-Creation, KeralaAbstract
Tourism has proven to be one of the fastest expanding sectors globally by contributing to social sustainability, cultural exchange, and economic development. In this vast sector, adventure tourism has recently emerged as the centre of attention by offering experiences that integrate physical exercise, immersion in nature, and cultural engagement. Adventure tourism caters to rising amounts of young and well-educated travelers motivated by the desire for thrill, authenticity, and meaning. This research examines the perceived value of adventure tourism experiences in Kerala, one of India's top tourist destinations and provides insight into the impact on tourist satisfaction, experiential value, and behavioral loyalty on the intentions to revisit, word-of-mouth, and advocacy to the destination. A total of 320 adventure tourists provided information through questionnaires, and the analysis consisted of reliability testing, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression (MLR), MANOVA, and moderated mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro, examining types of perceived value and their correlation to satisfaction and intentions to revisit. The findings indicate that perceived value is multi-dimensional which strongly supports perceived emotional value and relational value as the strongest determinants of satisfaction and intentions to revisit- adding to the value are both functional values and epistemic values. The experiential value of co-created experiences with service environments and the natural environments has a strong influence on either emotional or relational value, while the cultural aspects enhance value even more. Mediation analyses revealed that destination image positively amplified the effect of adventure experiences on loyalty (indirect effect = 0.183 for revisit intention), while perceived risk acted as a suppressor, weakening positive outcomes (−0.072). Ultimately, the results reveal that Kerala’s adventure tourism development should focus on creating emotionally engaging, socially meaningful, and safe experiences that uphold destination image while managing perceived risks.
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