Determinants of tourists’ revisit intention to Johor: examining motivation and the moderating role of social media

Tourist revisit intention is a critical indicator of destination sustainability, competitiveness, and long-term tourism development. Understanding the factors that encourage tourists to return is therefore essential for destinations seeking to strengthen their market position. This study investigates the factors influencing tourists’ revisit intention to destinations in Johor, with particular emphasis on the Theory of Planned Behaviour developed by Ajzen (1991). In addition to the core constructs of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, this study extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour by incorporating motivation as an additional antecedent. Furthermore, social media is examined as a moderating variable to understand its role in shaping the strength of selected relationships within the model. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected through a structured selfadministered questionnaire distributed to 350 tourists who had previously visited destinations in Johor. A convenience sampling technique was employed, and responses were measured using a five-point Likert scale. Data cleaning, screening, and preliminary analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 30. Subsequently, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) version 4.1.1.4 was utilised to evaluate the measurement and structural models and to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings indicate that subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and motivation significantly influence tourists’ revisit intention, while attitude shows no significant effect. The results further reveal that social media plays a significant moderating role in strengthening the relationship between subjective norm and revisit intention. However, social media does not significantly moderate the relationship between motivation and revisit intention. Overall, four of the proposed hypotheses are supported, while two are not supported. From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to the tourism literature by extending the application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour through the inclusion of motivation and by empirically examining the moderating role of social media in a destination-specific context. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for tourism stakeholders in Johor by highlighting the importance of social influence, perceived control and motivational factors in encouraging repeat visitation. Tourism marketers and policymakers may leverage social media platforms to strengthen positive social norms and enhance revisit intention. The study concludes by offering recommendations for future research, including the use of longitudinal designs, alternative moderators, and broader geographical coverage to further enrich the understanding of tourist revisit behaviour.