A comparative assessment of destination image,travel risk perceptions and travel intention by young travellers across three ASEAN countries: a study of German students

This paper seeks to offer a comparative assessment of destination image and travel risk as perceived by young German travellers across three ASEAN countries, namely Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition, effects of destination image and travel risk perception on intention to visit are evaluated. The results are drawn based on an online survey of 281 German university students who have recently travelled long-haul, each offering their perceptions of the three countries for analysis. It was found that destination image and travel risk perceptions vary across the studied destinations. Furthermore, destination image factors are discovered to display much stronger relationships with travel intention than the risk factors. The results reveal that travel risk perceptions only had some influence on visit intentions in Vietnam, which is perceived to have higher degrees of risk. Moreover, the relationship between tourist role and destination choice was confirmed.     

Intended destination image positioning at sub-provincial administration level in China

Tourism development is officially recognized by the Chinese central government as one of the strategic pillars of the country's economy. Hence, regional authorities are responsible for developing positioning strategies for their tourism destinations. This study investigates the following: (1) the variety of planned image positions among sub-provincial prefectures in China; (2) the commonalities of these image propositions across China and (3) the differences within and across the regions and provinces. This research is based on a representative sample of tourism development plans of 77 prefectural administrations. The texts (in Chinese language) were content analyzed and condensed in two steps into semantically similar terms and concepts. The results show that image-positioning objectives are generally lean in the planning documents lacking sophistication and creativity. The variety of used image terms tempts to believe in quite different positioning goals. Yet, from a compound perspective, this does not yield very distinct overall image positions.     

The moderating role of nationality on destination experience

ABSTRACT

Differences in tourists’ cultural values are significant factors in their product and service choices, yet they have generally been neglected in the literature. Therefore, this study examined how tourists’ nationalities influence their perceptions of service quality, affective image perceptions, and revisiting intentions. Activities were found to be more determinant on a destination’s affective image for Russian tourists, whereas accommodation, hospitality, and language communication services had a larger effect on German tourists.     

When birds flock together: an identification of the destination social servicescape

ABSTRACT

While servicescapes have been studied in a variety of travel and tourism domains, the phenomenon has been largely ignored at the destination level. This is especially true when it comes to considerations of the social servicescape, which is reflective of the extent to which the mere presence of other destination visitors can influence affective responses to the destination experience. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to propose and empirically test a model of the destination social servicescape that explores perceived psychographic similarity within the social servicescape and the effects of this construct on affective evaluations and behavior.     

Factors influencing destination image and visit intention among young women travellers: role of travel motivation,perceived risks,and travel constraints

There is literature detailing the effects of travel motivation, risks perceptions, and travel constraints on the destination image and travel behaviour of individuals. However, literature explaining these factors in the context of prospective young women travellers is scarce. This study empirically tests a comprehensive model of prospective young women’s travel behaviour, based on cognitive and affective perceptions about destination, travel motivations, perceived risks, and travel constraints. A quantitative study was performed on 370 young university women in Malaysia. The results revealed that the travel motivation of young women has positive effects on the cognitive and affective image, whereas the dimensions of perceived travel risks and travel constraints have negative effects on cognitive and affective destination images. The results also found that cognitive and affective images positively influence the visit intention of prospective young women travellers.     

Corporate image and destination image: the moderating effect of the motivations on the destination image of Spain in South Korea

The research objective is to analyse the destination image and corporate image of Spain among the Korean university population. We study the moderating effect of the motivation between two potential groups of tourists, escapers (tourists who travel for relaxation) and seekers (tourists who travel for seeking culture). Information was collected in South Korea via a questionnaire and the data were analysed using structural equation and multi-group analysis. For both groups, the results show that the corporate image has influence on the cognitive component of the destination image, motivation impacts on the cognitive and affective dimensions, and the cognitive component effects the affective component.     

Celebrity fan involvement and destination perceptions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which people’s involvement with a celebrity affects their perceptions of tourism destinations (familiarity, image, and visitation intentions). An on-site survey was conducted in Japan to examine Japanese’ perceptions of Korea in relation to their involvement with Korean celebrities. The results corroborated several hypothesized relationships. Celebrity involvement positively affected familiarity and visitation intentions. The results also indicated destination images and familiarity were positively related to visitation intentions. This study furthers researchers’ understanding to an emerging form of tourism whose creation is based on the powerful impacts of mass media and popular culture in post-industrial societies.     

The role of relationship quality in integrated destination marketing

ABSTRACT

This study illustrates the role of the relationship quality perceived by the international public, which is increasingly discussed in public diplomacy research. It leads to the implications for integrated destination marketing of a host country in targeting the international public, where the host country is considered both as a tourism destination and as a place for business and investment. The study proposes a model illustrating the intervention of relationship quality in the way tourism destination image and country image are associated with tourism and business behavioral intentions. Empirical testing shows that image itself cannot assure that the international public would support the host country. Instead, it establishes the critical role of enhancing relationship quality.     

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 destination competitiveness of Kinmen's tourism industry: exploring the interrelationships between tourist perceptions,service performance,customer satisfaction and sustainable tourism

Based upon an empirical investigation, the study draws upon the responses of 1623 tourists in Kinmen to explore the notion of destination competitiveness and how it is related to customer satisfaction with tourists’ perceptions, service performance and destination competitiveness. It also considers the question of destination competitiveness and sustainable tourism development. Variables such as tourists’ pre-visit perceptions, post-visit satisfaction toward destination attractions and resources, willingness to recommend and revisit, and competitiveness with foreign destinations are tested. The results of the study suggest that there is no correlation between tourists’ overall satisfaction and destination competitiveness. Implications of the study outcome illustrate that a destination's unique tourism characteristics can be the most important variables for destination competitiveness. In Kinmen's case, battlefields, historic relics, beautiful scenery and travel security gave it a competitive edge, despite high prices. In addition, developing the destination's brand image was found to be critical for tourism marketers and authorities in the context of increasingly global tourism competition.     

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.     

Investigating the interplay among the Olympic Games image,destination image,and country image for four previous hosts

ABSTRACT

This research tested the triangular relationships among country image, destination image, and Olympic Games image using a quasi-experimental design on an online platform. One month before the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, four groups of respondents were randomly assigned to a country context to rate their perceptions of one of the following host countries: England, United Kingdom (UK), Greece, Brazil, or Russia. Brazil's image was measured again one month after the Olympic Games. Comparison of groups showed that England had the strongest country image while Brazil and Greece had stronger destination images, and Russia had the lowest score in both domains. The Olympics image was stronger than both Russia’s country and destination images. Theoretical, managerial, and methodological implications are discussed.     

Tourist experience quality and loyalty to an island destination: the moderating impact of destination image

This study aims to explore the relationships among tourist experience quality, perceived value, perceived price reasonableness, tourist satisfaction with tour experience, and loyalty to an island destination by considering the moderating effect of destination image. The survey was distributed in person at an international airport. The findings revealed that tourists’ involvement with tours is the core of perceived value and price reasonableness, which increases tourists’ satisfaction. Perceived value is a stronger mediator between involvement and satisfaction than perceived price reasonableness. The moderating effect of island image is also uncovered. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed based on the findings.     

The impact of tourism mini-movies on destination image: The influence of travel motivation and advertising disclosure

Despite the growing use of mini-movies by tourism marketers, the effectiveness of this approach on inducing positive destination image remains relatively unexplored. This study examines the effectiveness of mini-movies in facilitating positive destination image while considering the influence of travel motivation and advertising disclosure via a 2 (travel motivation prime: presence versus absence) × 2 (advertising: disclosure versus non-disclosure) between-subjects experimental design. The methodology details the process of eliciting an individual's memorable tourism experience to prime future travel motivations. The study discusses implications for destinations that are looking to leverage the impact of mini-movies in their branding strategies.

Abbreviations: DMO: destination marketing organization; SD: standard deviation; ANOVA: analysis of variance     

An exploratory inquiry into destination risk perceptions and risk reduction strategies of first time vs. repeat visitors to a highly volatile destination

The paper examines the relationships between first-time vs. repeat visitors to a highly volatile destination in terms of destination risk perceptions, risk reduction strategies and motivation for the visit. The exploratory research question centers on possible differences in tourist behavioral profiles associated with their decision to visit a foreign destination again. Set in Israel, a highly volatile tourist destination, researchers interviewed 760 international tourists using a questionnaire classifying them as either first-time or repeat visitors. Discriminant analysis revealed that first-time visitors were characterized by human-induced risk, socio-psychological risk, food safety and weather risk. In contrast, repeat visitors were associated with the destination risk factors of financial risk, service quality risk, natural disasters and car accidents. First-time vs. repeat visitors were also compared and contrasted in terms of risk reduction strategies such as consulting with people who had previously visited specific destinations and gathering information from travel agents. Differences between first-time and repeat visitors were also found regarding motivations for the visit. Similar analyses were conducted on the three sub-groups of repeat visitors, classified in terms of number of visits.     

Online destination image: Comparing national tourism organisation's and tourists' perspectives

This study examines the perceived and projected online destination images (DI) manifested in tourist-generated content (TGC) and national tourism organisation (NTO) generated content. Through visual content analysis and mise en scène analysis of photographic data as well as content analysis and perceptual mapping analysis of textual data, the differences between perceived and projected online DI of Eastern Taiwan were explored. TGC and NTO contents were both found to have similarly represented Eastern Taiwan as a destination abounds with “natural environment”, “infrastructure”, “specific activities”, and “tourist attractions”. However, several important DI dimensions were under-represented in the NTO content, for example, “food and beverages”, “transportation”, “information” and “accommodation”. The findings further reveal that the TGC textual content tended to outperform NTO textual content in reflecting affective DI; and photographic content, in general, was more effective in conveying affective attributes. The findings provide useful insights for practice and future research in DI management.     

Influence of celebrity involvement on place attachment: role of destination image in film tourism

The importance of place attachment in film tourism has been recognized by scholars and practitioners. However, despite its predominance in the destination management industry, several unaddressed issues remain in film tourism. Therefore, this study is conducted to investigate the relationships between celebrity involvement, destination image, and place attachment. Data obtained from 301 purposeful film tourists indicated that celebrity involvement was positively associated with place attachment. Moreover, cognitive image and affective image partially mediated the relationship between celebrity involvement and place attachment. In other words, cognitive image and affective image represent crucial psychological processes that explain how celebrity involvement influences place attachment. Furthermore, compared with the affective image, the cognitive image had a more crucial mediating role in the celebrity fan–film destination attachment relationship. Theoretical and managerial implications are also provided.     

Antecedents and consequences of tourists’ satisfaction in sport event: Mediating role of destination image

Abstract

In this study, we determined the causal relationship between some of the predictors and outcomes of sports tourists’ satisfaction using structural equation modeling. Motivation and involvement as predictors and behavioral intentions (WOM and intention to revisit) were considered as outcomes. The results indicated the significant mediating role of destination image in the relationship between involvement and satisfaction. So, Event organizers need to pay special attention to the psychological characteristics of tourists, such as their motivations and involvement. As a result, they can take some benefits in behavioral outcomes, such as word of mouths and intention to revisit.     

Cultural distance and international tourists’ intention to visit a destination

Drawing on literature about travel motivation and travel risk, this paper examines how cultural distance influences international tourist’s intention to visit a destination country. Structural equation modeling is utilized to analyze the responses from 729 potential tourists in China. The data supports a model suggesting that cultural distance has bidirectional effects on tourists’ intention to visit a destination country through exerting influences on tourists’ novelty perception and risk perception of this country. Finally, it is suggested to make reasonable use of cultural distance in destination marketing practice.     

Destination familiarity and favorability in a country-image context: examining Taiwanese travelers’ perceptions of China

Building on international marketing research on the country-of-origin image effect, this research examines how people evaluate a culturally familiar country as a tourist destination. Derived from a sample of 710 Taiwanese travelers, research findings showed that when evaluating China as a tourist destination, respondents relied on both their general image of the country (country image) as well as tourism-specific perceptions (destination beliefs), while a few respondents with low familiarity with China relied only on their general image of the country to evaluate the destination. The research also showed that respondents with high levels of familiarity with China had more positive destination beliefs, resulting in more favorable destination evaluations; however, country image was found to be persistent and difficult to be changed by destination promoting materials and/or actual visits. The paper concludes with recommendations for destination marketing in the context of international tourism.