A confirmation of the four-component structure of destination image, and their relationships with tourists’ loyalty

Abstract

Within the study on destination image, one of the issues remain unsatisfactorily addressed is the structure of the construct. Based on the existing literature, this study retests the cognitive-affective structure of destination image, with the cognitive component constructed by the tangible (functional), intangible (psychological), and mixed attributes. In addition, it reconfirms the importance of destination image as an antecedent of tourists’ loyalty to a destination with the application of the four-component structure of destination image. Using the data collected from international tourists to Vietnam and applying the structural equation modelling method, this study revealed that destination image could be structured by the functional, psychological, mixed, and affective components. All of these components could significantly predict tourists’ loyalty; however, the impact of the affective component was the largest. Theoretical implication for psychology-based marketing, and managerial implication for the projection and communication of Vietnam’s image were discussed.