Linking the dots among destination images,place attachment,and revisit intentions: A study among British and Russian tourists

Limited evidence suggests that the incorporation of both image components (cognitive, affective, and conative) and holistic image is meaningful for predicting tourists' revisit intentions. Extending this line of research, the present study aims to unravel the relative influence that each component of image has directly and indirectly, via holistic image, on revisit intentions. In doing so, we incorporate two national samples (British and Russians) of diverse tourist profile and significantly different levels of visitation frequency to investigate place attachment as a moderator. Evidence from 1362 British and 1164 Russian tourists indicated that all image components have a positive indirect effect on revisit intention via holistic image, while conative has also a direct one. As expected, the image components rank differently for British and Russian tourists. The indirect effects of destination images on revisit intention, except conative, are conditional and, interestingly, most of these are stronger for tourists with low PA.     

Exploring the influence of tourists’ happiness on revisit intention in the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine cultural tourism

Based on how tourists interpret the destination experience and on attachment theory, this study investigates the influencing mechanism of tourists' happiness on revisit intention for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) cultural tourism destinations. Three tourist samples confirm the three dimensions of tourists' happiness: positive emotions, engagement, and meaning. Two surveys were conducted to test the direct and indirect influence of tourists' happiness on revisit intention and the moderating role of tourists' health consciousness. The results show that tourists' happiness promotes memorable tourism experience and place attachment, in turn stimulating revisit intention. The results also support health consciousness as a significant moderator between happiness, place attachment, and revisit intention. The findings enrich theoretical understanding of tourists’ happiness and provide marketing and management advice for TCM cultural tourism destinations.     

Why Do First-Time and Repeat Visitors Patronize a Destination?

Most studies of tourists' destination choices have either focused on how to attract more tourists or on developing stable relationships with existing ones. Therefore, the fit of a conceptual model incorporating relational (destination attachment) and transactional (destination image) antecedents to patronizing intentions (revisit, recommend, and resist change) was tested on a sample of first-time visitors and on a sample of repeat visitors to a hot spring destination in Taiwan. The findings indicated that first-time visitors' intentions to patronize the destination were mainly affected by destination image and that repeat visitors' intentions to patronize the destination were primarily affected by destination attachment. These findings highlight the importance of destination attachment and destination image in predicting tourists' patronizing intentions and future behavior, and reveal that researchers have overlooked that the antecedents of tourists' patronizing intentions differ depending on the type of relationship they have with the destination. As a result, this study provides compelling evidence for the need to clearly situate studies of destination choice in the transactional-relational continuum and questions the generalizability of previously published work that neglects to do so.     

Determinants of Revisit Intention to a Hot Springs Destination: Evidence from Taiwan

This study develops a structural model for understanding the effects of destination personality, cuisine experience and psychological well-being on tourists' revisit intentions to a hot springs destination. An on-site questionnaire was administered to 315 Taiwanese tourists at Bei-Tou hot springs. The results indicated that destination personality, cuisine experience and psychological well-being were important determinants of revisit intention. In addition, ‘health’ was the strongest dimension for cuisine experience, and ‘healthy’ was the dominant dimension for destination personality. The findings suggest that future efforts to understand the revisitation decision-making process should consider tourists' aspirations for the pursuit of health. Implications for theory and practice are provided.     

How subjective knowledge influences intention to travel

This study analyzes tourist intention in the early phase of the tourists' decision-making process. Through correlations and web-experiments, we trace subjective knowledge through the tourists' accumulation of diagnostic cues inherent in a destination and the ways tourists falsely believe that having more knowledge can be beneficial. This research uncovers the negative relationship between tourists' subjective knowledge about a destination and their intention to travel. Subjective knowledge psychologically activates a higher degree of self-congruity with a destination, impregnating the destination with a sense of familiarity that curbs the intention to travel. The results indicate that practitioners need to understand the way that congruence between market-generated materials and tourists' sense of self can counterintuitively clog the decision-making process at the early stages.     

Destination image as a mediator between perceived risks and revisit intention: A case of post-disaster Japan

Despite the significance of perceived travel risk and destination image, relatively few studies address the effect of perceived travel risks on the formation of destination image, and the mediating role of destination image. This study draws new insights by examining (1) the effects of perceived risks on destination image, and (2) the mediating role of destination image between perceived risks and revisit intention of repeat tourists to a risky destination. With perceived risk and destination image being empirically distinctive constructs, findings revealed that perceived socio-psychological and financial risks influenced both cognitive and affective destination images. Perceived physical risk did not have a significant influence on destination image, although it directly affected revisit intention. Additionally, destination image significantly mediated the relationships between two risks, namely, perceived socio-psychological and financial risks, and revisit intention. Several managerial implications concerning the management of risk perceptions and the promotion of risky destinations are discussed in this study.     

Keep it real: Assessing destination image congruence and its impact on tourist experience evaluations

Inaccurate promotional information about tourist destinations may result in tourists' negative evaluations. This study proposes a new approach to measure the congruence between projected and received images of a destination's attractions. Based on online textual data, this study investigates how image congruence influences tourists' evaluations of their destination experiences. Using promotional messages and reviews of attractions in Hainan, China obtained from a leading Chinese online travel agency (Ctrip) and a three-way fixed-effects regression model, this study demonstrates that image congruence positively affects tourists' appraisal of their destination experiences. External crises (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic), the readability of promotional messages, and tourists' expertise moderate this relationship, reducing the positive impact of image congruence on tourist experience evaluation. This study bridges theoretical and empirical gaps in destination image (in)congruence research, informing tourism marketing agencies of effective promotional strategies in different contexts.     

Homelessness in destinations: Tourists' visit intention

Although the presence of homelessness can challenge a destination's existing representations and undermine tourists' visit intention, its impacts have not received much scholarly attention in the tourism literature. Recognizing this research gap, this study examines the impact of homelessness on tourists' visit intention in Hawaii. In particular, findings reveal that tourists' preceding prosocial behavior and moral emotion affect their intention to visit a destination experiencing homelessness issues. This study also finds a gender difference regarding the effect of preceding prosocial behavior on moral emotion. It contributes to the literature by expanding the discussion of this important social phenomenon in a tourism context. Findings also suggest that destinations could promote socially responsible and sustainable practices to mitigate the effects of homelessness.     

The influence of tourists' monetary and temporal sunk costs on destination trust and visit intention

Although the phenomenon of sunk costs is common in tourism situations, tourism research has largely ignored its effect on tourists. Drawing on prospect theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and signal theory, this study proposed that monetary sunk cost and temporal sunk cost both have significant impact on potential tourists' visit intention. Four scenario-based experiments were performed to test hypothesized relationships. Findings revealed that monetary sunk cost has a negative effect on visit intention, while temporal sunk cost has a positive effect. Good destination reputation attenuates the effects, and destination trust mediates the relationship between sunk cost and visit intention. These studies extend existing theoretical applications by identifying the conditions under which sunk cost can influence tourists' visit intention, and provides relevant practical suggestions for tourism product suppliers and local government departments.     

Does destination nostalgic advertising enhance tourists’ intentions to visit? The moderating role of destination type

This study investigates the impact of nostalgic advertising and perceived destination types on tourists using four experiments. Study 1a and Study 1b revealed that destination nostalgic advertising is more likely to evoke tourists' history sense and further trigger visit intention, while destination non-nostalgic advertising is more likely to evoke tourists' fashion sense and further trigger visit intention. Study 2a and Study 2b revealed that perceived destination type plays a moderating role in these effects. Nostalgic advertising in utilitarian destinations is more likely to evoke tourists' history sense and further trigger visit intentions, while non-nostalgic advertising in hedonic destinations is more likely to evoke tourists’ fashion sense and further enhance visit intentions. These findings have valuable implications for destination marketers seeking to develop effective marketing strategies.     

The Mediating Effect of Destination Image on the Relationship Between Spectator Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions at an International Sporting Event

Although many previous studies have examined the effect of sporting events on destination image, relatively a limited number of studies have examined the effect of destination image on sporting events. Therefore, this study attempted to identify the mediating effect of destination image on the relationship between spectator satisfaction and behavioral intentions, including word-of-mouth (WOM) and revisit intentions, at an international sporting event, the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix (F-1). The results indicated that the effects of spectator satisfaction on WOM and repurchase intentions were found to be mediated by spectators’ reported destination images. Destination image fully mediated the effects of visual features and accessibility satisfaction on both WOM and revisit intentions. In addition, ticket and staff satisfaction had a direct effect only on WOM intentions. In other words, there was no mediating effect of destination image on the relationship between ticket and staff satisfaction and WOM intentions.     

Can craft beverages shape a destination’s image? A cognitive intervention to measure pisco-related resources on conative image

Assessing potential tourists' perceptions is vital to build a destination image and brand capable to attract new and repeated visitors. The increasing popularity of craft beverage tourism in recent years is incentivizing destinations to (re)design their offerings and (re)brand their image based on their craft beverages. This study investigated how the image of an emerging craft beverage tourism destination (Ica, Peru) is formed among potential tourists by inducing cognitive image (knowledge presented through picture-text dyads) of Ica's iconic resources, staple craft beverage (pisco), and resources associated with its production. Additionally, it measured the impact of local resources' characteristics, affective image, and personal characteristics on conative image (interest to visit and willingness to recommend) at different intervention stages. Results indicate that pisco-related resources are powerful enough to motivate travel, and that the characteristics of a mix of resources should be combined with beverage-specific information when developing branding strategies for craft beverage tourism destinations.     

Exploring tourists' purchase intention of food-related souvenirs

This study aims to understand the association between food souvenirs and a destination. Most related studies focused on locally consumed food while this study aims at food that can act as a souvenir. Food image plays an important role in shaping destination brand and perceived tourist value, which consequently contributes to purchase intention for food souvenirs. In short, the study examines how local food consumption improves perceived tourist value, which eventually contributes to tourists' intention to purchase food-related souvenirs. 355 tourists who purchased brown sugar steamed cake while visiting Penghu Island in Taiwan were surveyed. The study performed structural equation modeling to test the mediating effects of destination brand and perceived tourist value on souvenir food image prompting purchase intention for food souvenirs. The findings indicate that food souvenirs image contributes more strongly through perceived tourist value than through destination brand.     

A Missing Link in Understanding Revisit Intention—The Role of Motivation and Image

This study addresses two gaps in the research on tourist revisit intention: the impact of the pre-visit psychological factor of travel motivation and its relationship with destination image. Path analysis is adopted to examine the relationships among destination image, travel motivation, and revisit intention in a rural tourism context. A causal relationship is detected between three motivation dimensions, two image dimensions, and revisit intention. All three motivational constructs (intellectual, escape, and belonging) exert a significant influence on the cognitive dimension of image, whereas only the motivation construct of escape is significantly related to the affective dimension of image. A causal relationship is also identified between the affective dimension of image and revisit intention.     

Cyprus' image—a sun and sea destination—as a detrimental factor to seasonal fluctuations. Exploration into motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus

Cyprus is established as a summer destination. To aid the destination in developing its winter season as well, this research uses a qualitative, interpretive, inductive approach to explore the tourists' visitation motivations in order to establish whether Cyprus can be perceived as a year-round destination. The research indicates that the sun and sea image prevails and determines visitations. This in effect dissuades tourists from seeing it as a year-round destination. Nonetheless, increasing the pull factors of the destination through the development of unique special interest products can help in extending the tourism season as well as broaden its narrow image.     

China in the Eyes of Western Travelers as Represented in Travel Blogs

Travel blogs provide a new way of understanding consumers' perceptions on destination and its associated products. The purpose of this study was to examine international tourists' destination image of China as represented in travel blog discourse. Data were obtained from blog entries relating to trips to China posted on three dominant travel blog websites. Content analysis facilitated by Atlas.ti 6.0 was performed on a total of 89 China-related travel blogs. The study identified the most frequently discussed aspects of tourists' experiences in China. The results also indicated that the blog authors had mixed and paradoxical images of China as identified by previous research. Marketing implications for China's tourism development based on the results were discussed.     

Investigating tourist destination choice: Effect of destination image from social network members

This paper aims to investigate tourist destination choice, focusing on the research question how and to what extent the destination images of tourists' social network members influence their choice behavior. To this end, data were collected using a sequential stated adaptation choice experiment, in which respondents were requested to choose a tourist destination from a single choice set twice, once before and once after being informed about the destination image of social network members. A discrete choice model was estimated to investigate tourists’ choices. The estimation results revealed that the destination image of social network members allow tourists to update their existing knowledge toward destinations, through which their choice behavior is influenced. Tourists tend to adopt their destination image of social network members no matter whether they have a prior image or not. The magnitude of this social influence depends on the properties of the social networks.     

The mediating effect of place attachment on the relationship between golf tourism destination image and revisit intention

Focusing on golf tourism in Hainan Province, this study examined the relationship between place attachment, golf tourism destination image, and revisit intention of golf tourists. Data were obtained using questionnaires distributed to golf tourists in Hainan Province, China in 2016. Survey data from 218 tourists indicated that destination image was positively related to place attachment. Moreover, place attachment mediated the relationship between destination image and revisit intention. Implications of these findings for golf tourism marketing strategies as well as future research directions are discussed.     

Service encounter failure,negative destination emotion and behavioral intention: An experimental study of taxi service

The relationship between transportation and tourism has not been fully explored in tourist research. The effects of transportation services at destinations, particularly with service encounter failures, on tourists' perceptions of the destinations and their behavioral intentions have not been considered. We examine taxis, a main form of tourist transportation, and assess how tourists evaluate the service encounter failures. Our sample of 308 residents in Hong Kong participated in an online experiment with a 2 × 2 between-subject experimental design. The results indicated that both dishonesty and inhospitality were regarded as attributes of taxi service failures and can contribute to tourists' negative emotions regarding destinations. The negative emotions were found to be a strong predictor of tourists' negative behavioral intentions, including their intentions to post negative online reviews and not to revisit. The implications are also discussed about managing transportation services such as taxis for destination marketing and management.     

Travel motivation among cross border tourists: Case study of Langkawi

Research that focuses on regional tourists in Malaysia is scarce in literature. This study examined the influence of travel motivations; economic, nature, and cultural aspects on tourists' loyalty intention in the context of Langkawi Island, Malaysia. A total of 200 fully answered questionnaires were collected from ASEAN tourists on the island using the purposive sampling technique, and the data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. The results confirmed that the ‘economic aspect’ and ‘nature aspect’ are important motivational factors affecting tourists' loyalty intention to revisit Langkawi. Although cultural aspect influences loyalty intention, its effect was weak. Managerial and marketing recommendations were made for tourism in Langkawi based on these findings.