Exploring the Relationship between Place Attachment and Visitor Satisfaction in Agro-Tourism: A Case Study of Selangor Fruit Valley

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between place attachment and visitor satisfaction at Selangor Fruit Valley, an agrotourism destination in Selangor, Malaysia. Place attachment was conceptualised through four dimensions: place identity, place dependence, place affect, and place social bonding. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was administered to visitors, yielding 167 usable responses. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Spearman’s rank-order correlation with bootstrapped confidence intervals. The findings show moderate levels of place attachment and visitor satisfaction among respondents. Place attachment was positively and significantly associated with visitor satisfaction, ρ = .63, p < .001, 95% CI [.50, .71]. Gender did not show significant differences in overall place attachment or visitor satisfaction, although place dependence differed significantly by gender. Visitation status showed clearer differences, with first-time and repeat visitors reporting significantly different levels of place attachment and satisfaction. These findings suggest that agrotourism managers can improve visitor satisfaction by strengthening visitors’ emotional, functional, identity-based, and social connections with the destination. The study contributes context-specific evidence on visitor-place relationships in Malaysian agrotourism and provides practical guidance for improving visitor experience at agrotourism sites.