| This thesis combined the marketing concept of "brand image" with the tourism concept of "destination image" and investigated the marketing concept of "brand user-image" in the tourism context by examining the potential relationship between destination image and destination-user image. Three studies were conducted to investigate the linkage from destination image, to destination user-image, to purchase intention. Firstly, the overall findings supported the proposition that for potential tourists who have never been to a destination before, destination image of a place is significantly correlated to destination-user image of a place. Secondly, self-image congruence is positively correlated with purchase intention, namely, likelihood of visitation in this study. Implications for destination researchers and marketing practitioners and direction for future studies were also discussed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
