The study evaluates the influence of national culture on the relationships between tourist motivation, service interactions with hotel employees, and place attachment. These relationships are ascertained among four groups of visitors to the island of Mauritius. The overall structural model, tested on a sample of 545 visitors, indicates that motivation and service interactions are strong determinants of place attachment. Multi-group analysis shows there is no relationship between service interactions and place dependence for all four groups of visitors (German, South African, French and British). However, there are differences in the relationships between motivation, place identity and place dependence for all four groups. The findings have important implications for hotel managers, destination marketing and management, and employee training.

• Girish Prayag(University of Canterbury, New Zealand)
• Isabella Soscia(SKEMA Business School, France)