The Effect of Cultural Storytelling and Destination Branding on Tourists’ Intention to Visit Kampung Adat Gebong Memarong

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of cultural storytelling and destination branding on tourists’ visiting intention to Kampung Adat Gebong Memarong within the context of digital tourism development. Contemporary tourism dynamics emphasize that destinations must go beyond physical attractiveness by integrating meaningful cultural narratives and a strong, consistent destination image to shape favorable tourist perceptions and behavioral intentions. A quantitative approach was adopted, with data collected through structured questionnaires from 150 respondents. The data were analyzed using SPSS through a series of statistical procedures, including construct validity and internal consistency testing, regression analysis, hypothesis testing (t and F tests), and variance explanation (R²). The results reveal that cultural storytelling has a positive and significant effect on visiting intention (t = 14.001; p < 0.05). Destination branding also shows a positive and significant effect (p = 0.002 < 0.05). In addition, the F-test confirms that both variables jointly exert a significant influence on tourists’ visiting intention (F = 27.232; p < 0.05). The model explains a substantial proportion of variance in visiting intention, as indicated by an R² value of 0.875, meaning that 87.5% of tourists’ visiting intention is explained by cultural storytelling and destination branding, while 12.5% is influenced by other factors beyond this research framework. Overall, the study highlights that both cultural storytelling and destination branding function as key determinants of tourists’ visiting intention. The integration of culturally rich narratives and a well-structured destination branding strategy is essential to strengthening destination competitiveness and enhancing tourists’ intention to visit Kampung Adat Gebong Memarong.