Abstract:
Revisit intention is a key indicator of a destination’s long-term appeal and sustainability. This
study investigates the factors influencing international tourists’ intention to revisit Sri Lanka
based on key determinants influencing tourist behaviour. Although Sri Lanka has an abundance
of tourism resources as natural attractions, cultural identity, affordability, and wellness products,
the country has been facing low or inconsistent levels of tourist revisits. This research
was conducted to provide empirical evidence to support sustainable tourism development by
determining the factors that most significantly impact revisit intention. A quantitative research
design was adopted, and the primary data were collected from 327 international tourists using
a standardised questionnaire. Using forward stepwise selection to identify the most influential
predictors of revisit intention. The fit of the model was tested with the Hosmer-Lemeshow
test, and the predictive ability was evaluated against classification accuracy and Nagelkerke R².
The results revealed that all four predictors, natural beauty, cultural heritage, affordability, and
wellness offerings, were statistically significant predictors of revisit intention. Natural beauty
had the highest odds ratio (Exp(B) = 3.151), indicating it was the strongest predictor, followed
by wellness offerings (Exp(B) = 2.335), cultural heritage (Exp(B) = 2.253), and affordability
(Exp(B) = 2.143). The final model had a cumulative prediction accuracy of 86.9% and explained
42.8% of the variance of the revisit decision (Nagelkerke R² = 0.428). These findings
imply that enhancing these attributes will not only encourage repeat tourism but also put Sri
Lanka on a competitive level in the global tourist market. This study offers empirical insights
into tourist behaviour and provides practical guidance for destination planners aiming to enhance
Sri Lanka’s global competitiveness.
