Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of gender and visit frequency as moderating variables on the relationships among destination perceived quality, tourist satisfaction and word-of-mouth (WOM). Design/methodology/approach This study incorporated several previous research models to propose a conceptual model that fully explains the relationships among destination perceived quality, tourist satisfaction, visit frequency and WOM. One important thing to consider is whether gender and visit frequency impact on the relationships among these factors. In addition, this study was able to generate measurement items for the dimensions by analyzing specific tourism conditions in Danang City and referring to the scales of these factors in previous studies. Quantitative research was conducted to test the scales of the research model and hypotheses through data collected from 303 domestic tourists. Findings Structural equation modeling and a multi-group analysis were used to test the hypotheses and the invariance of structural coefficients across groups. The results indicate that destination perceived quality has significant, positive and direct effect on tourist satisfaction; WOM is positively influenced by destination perceived quality and tourist satisfaction; and there is significant relationship between visit frequency and WOM. In particular, when exploring the impact of moderating variables such as gender and visit frequency, this study also found that the impacts of destination perceived quality on WOM are different between genders, and this impact is stronger for female rather than male tourists; and the effect of destination perceived quality on tourist satisfaction is stronger for the first visit than for later visits. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited in its ability to gather a larger sample to more generally represent the complete domestic market, as well as in its lack of a comparison of online versus offline WOM effects by gender. Originality/value This paper was conducted to have a better understanding of how tourist demographic characteristics such as gender and visit frequency are important contributors that influence the relationships among these three factors. This paper has important implications for marketers and managers of Danang, such as local tourism authorities, commercial association managers, hotel owners, restaurant owners and tour managers working to improve the quality of this destination, and thus better satisfying tourists and competing with other destinations.

Purpose-This paper aims to propose and investigate the relationships among the components of brand equity, and examining the effects of these components on overall destination brand equity in Hoi An tourism destination, Vietnam, from the perspective of domestic tourists. Design/methodology/approach-Questionnaire data were collected from 319 domestic tourists who have visited Hoi An city. The results of empirical tests using a structural equation model support the research hypotheses. Findings-The results indicate that destination brand awareness has significant, positive effects on destination brand image and destination perceived quality; destination brand image has positive influences on destination perceived quality and destination brand loyalty; destination perceived quality has significant, positive impacts on destination brand loyalty; except for destination brand image, the remaining dimensions have positive and direct impacts on overall destination brand equity. Originality/value-An integrated model of destination brand equity dimensions and overall destination brand equity was tested in a tourism city in the context of a developing economy. Moreover, relevant implications are provided for destination marketers as to how to improve destination brand equity in the tourism industry.

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PurposeThis paper aims to examine the role of social media communication, tourist satisfaction and destination brand equity components in enhancing destination brand equity based on the Stimulus – Organism – Response (S-O-R) theory.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual model and research hypotheses were assessed using covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM). An online survey was used to collect data from 369 domestic tourists who had traveled to Danang and knew about content related to Danang generated by either DMOs or other users on social media.FindingsExcept for the effect of DMO-generated social media communication on tourist satisfaction and the impact of destination brand awareness on destination brand loyalty, the findings confirmed the sequential causal relationships between research concepts based on the S-O-R model.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should explore the proposed model based on comparisons of different nationalities to better understand the impact of cultural factors.Practical implicationsDMOs should associate social media with their marketing strategies to enhance destination brand equity, using cutting-edge technologies to create content and update information in a significant way to make communications by DMOs more effective. The findings especially suggest that UGC plays a vital role in improving brand equity dimensions, so DMOs could exploit UGC to engage existing customers and build relationships with potential customers. This research provides guidance for DMOs to improve their brand equity based on social media.Originality/valueThis study has contributed to the destination marketing literature by applying the S-O-R theory to propose a pathway for effectively increasing destination brand equity and highlight the importance of social media communication as a driver to achieve a hierarchical relationship between destination brand equity components and tourist satisfaction from stimulus to organism (e.g. cognition to affect).

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