Abstract:
In today’s highly competitive hospitality sector, organisations must move beyond
traditional marketing to strengthen relationships with customers and sustain long term loyalty. Experiential marketing, which emphasises sensory, emotional,
cognitive, behavioural, and relational experiences, has become a critical strategy to
engage customers. However, customers’ perceptions of credibility are equally vital
in transforming these experiences into lasting loyalty. In Sri Lanka’s Western
Province, where hospitality is one of the fastest-growing service sectors,
understanding how experiential marketing and brand credibility interact is essential
for business sustainability. This study investigates the impact of experiential
marketing on customer loyalty in the hospitality industry of Sri Lanka’s Western
Province, with particular focus on the mediating role of brand credibility. A
quantitative research design was employed under the positivist paradigm. Primary
data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 384 hospitality
customers, selected using convenience sampling. The instrument contained 30 items
measured on a 5-point Likert scale, adapted from established sources. Reliability was
confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha (all variables > 0.7). Hypotheses were tested using
correlation and regression in SPSS, with mediation testing performed through
PROCESS Macro (Model 4). Findings revealed that the dimensions of experiential
marketing, feel, think, and act, and relate positively and significantly influence
customer loyalty, while the sense dimension showed no significant effect. The overall
impact of experiential marketing on loyalty was significant (p = 0.000). Furthermore,
brand credibility was found to partially mediate this relationship (indirect effect =
0.321, 95% CI- 0.244-0.408). The results show that experiential marketing strongly
enhances loyalty, especially when supported by brand credibility. The study extends
the experiential marketing–loyalty framework to Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector and
highlights brand credibility. Practically, managers should strengthen meaningful
experiences and credibility to drive patronage and positive word-of-mouth.
