Examination of student loyalty in tourism and hospitality programs: A comparison between the United States and Hong Kong

Student loyalty is an important concern for higher education institutions. When an educational institution enhances student loyalty, it is expected to improve its reputation and education quality, student retention, and financial support from alumni. This study develops a model based on the relationship marketing literature to examine student loyalty. It tests the model with two university-level tourism and hospitality management programs, one in the U. S. and the other in Hong Kong. Structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed relationships and to compare the two country samples. The findings provide practical implications for educators in tourism and hospitality programs.