Do Destination Images Really Matter? Predicting Destination Choices of Student Travelers

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Sevil Sonmez, Professor and Department Head (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to identify images that are likely predictors of destination choices of college students considering travelling to Turkey in a probabilistic model when two measurements of the dependent variable were involved. Five hundred surveys were distributed to geographically dispersed universities across the USA. Based on a response rate of 65.4 per cent, the study results indicated that travellers can compartmentalise their mental pictures and evaluate each image component according to its importance in choice decisions. Moreover, familiarity with the destination can be considered as a moderator variable in decision-making models. Implications for destination marketing and management are discussed in light of the study findings.

Additional Information

Publication
Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7(2):125-142
Language: English
Date: 2001
Keywords
destination image, college students, tourist destination, Turkish tourism, likelihood model

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