The Influence of Lembur Pakuan and KDM Branding on Tourists' Visit Decisions to Subang Regency in 2025
Keywords:
Destination branding, Lembur Pakuan, KDM, visit decisions, Subang tourismAbstract
This study examines the influence of Lembur Pakuan branding and Kang Dedi Mulyadi (KDM) branding on tourists' decisions to visit Subang Regency in 2025. A quantitative approach was applied through a survey of 100 purposively selected respondents. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), including evaluation of construct validity and reliability, testing of relationships between variables, and assessing the model's predictive ability. The analysis results show that all constructs meet the criteria of convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability. Lembur Pakuan branding has a positive and significant effect on visiting decisions with a path coefficient of 0.502, t-statistic of 7.789, and p < 0.001. KDM branding also has a positive and significant effect with a path coefficient of 0.329, t-statistic of 5.021, and p < 0.001. The two variables together explained 50.4% of the variation in visit decisions (R² = 0.504). In the PLS Predict test, the RMSE and MAE PLS-SEM values for all indicators were lower than those of the linear model, indicating good predictive performance. This finding confirms that a strong destination identity, when supported by the popularity, credibility, and communication activities of the KDM, can drive tourists' decisions to visit Subang Regency
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