Destination Image and Visit Intention: Examining the Moderating Role of Motivation

Abstract

Destination image for a specific destination and travel motivation provide important information for understanding tourist behaviors and behavioral intentions. This study examined the influences of cognitive and affective destination images on tourist visit intention. It also attempted to identify the moderating role of tourist motivation within the image and intention context, investigating whether the extent of the image effects on visit intention varies depending on the level of tourist motivation. To achieve the objectives, this study used hierarchical regressions. The results confirmed that both cognitive and affective destination images have significant influence on tourist visit intention. The findings also indicated that tourist motivation plays as a partial moderator only on the relationship between affective image (arousing) and visit intention, whereas motivation has no moderating role in the relationship between cognitive image and visit intention.