<![CDATA[travel experience on tourist loyalty.Method – This study employed a quantitative approach with an associative research design. Data were collected through questionnaires from 125 tourists who had visited Tangkahan at least twice. The respondents were selected using purposive sampling. The research instrument used a five-point Likert scale and was subjected to validity and reliability testing. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression with the assistance of IBM SPSS Statist\ics version 25.Findings – The results show that service quality, destination image, and travel experience have a positive and significant effect on tourist loyalty. In contrast, social media use does not have a significant direct effect on tourist loyalty. These findings indicate that tourist loyalty is more closely associated with tourists’ evaluations of service quality, perceptions of the destination, and actual experiences gained during their visits than with the intensity of social media use.Originality (Novelty) – The novelty of this study lies in integrating functional, perceptual, digital, and experiential aspects into a single model to explain tourist loyalty in the context of conservation-based ecotourism. This study also provides empirical evidence that social media use is not necessarily a direct determinant of tourist loyalty.Implications – Theoretically, this study contributes to the tourism marketing literature by integrating service quality, destination image, social media use, and travel experience as factors influencing tourist loyalty. Practically, the findings provide a basis for destination managers to prioritize service quality improvement, strengthen destination image, and create meaningful travel experiences, while optimizing social media as a supporting tool for communication and marketing.]]>
