Structural Relationship between Cognitive Image, Destination Personality and Tourists Motivation

Abstract

This research work was an extract from a major research on understanding personality and image of destination. This portion of research intended to identify a theoretical model consisting of cognitive destination image, destination personality traits and tourists motivation in destination branding context and to validate it hypothetically. This research was carried out in Coimbatore District – an emerging destination in Tamil Nadu, India between 2018 and 2019. Flourishing erratic tourism industry’s scenarios and the need for academic research blended as the motive for this for this model-based study. Evidence was found in the literature that tourists’ belief about the destination, tourists’ motivation and perceived destination personality traits were found interrelated. Thus, the theoretical model was found. For validating the proposed model, a questionnaire confirmed through pilot study containing the required study variables was circulated to the tourists who visited the destination for tourism purposes. With the sample size as 448 after screening and eliminating the illegible responses, three stage process of analysis that include Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling had been performed. The conceptual model was validated and found that there existed the interrelationship between tourists’ perceived cognitive image, perceived personality traits of the destination and tourists’ motivation to tour. Marketers of destinations were suggested to use the model for formulating branding and marketing activities. The scope for further research was pointed out on expanding the research model with other destination perspectives considering the outcome as base.

Keywords: Destination, Cognitive Image, Personality Traits, Tourists Motivation, Destination Branding

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