The Effects of Destination Brand Personality on Chinese tourists' Revisit Intention to Glasgow: An Examination across Gender

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the mediating effects of self-congruity between destination brand personality, to revisit intention and heed the moderating effects of gender between self-congruity. Therefore, data were collected through a survey from 226 Chinese outbound tourists in Glasgow city, United Kingdom and was analysed to provide evidence.Based on the results, the analysis of partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using the Smart PLS 3.0 program indicated that self-congruity was mediated partially through destination brand personality and revisit intention. In tourism destination, Aaker five dimension of brand personality model was particularly adapted into practice. However, the model failed to perform an actual self-congruity to mediate all five dimensions (i.e. sincerity, excitement, competence, excitement, sophistication and ruggedness) of destination brand personality and revisit intention. The results revealed that the ideal self-congruity is a mediating effect between destination brand personality (i.e. sincerity and excitement) and revisit intention.Moreover, this study also reported that the moderating role of gender has no effects on selfcongruity and revisit intention. No difference was observed between female and male Chinese tourists who rely more on destination brand personality over self-congruity when the impact of symbolic destination brand benefits on their intention to revisit Glasgow was considered.Findings further offer specific implications for both theoretical insight and marketing practice in context of tourism destinations in Glasgow.

A Theoretical Framework to Explain the Impact of Destination Personality, Self-Congruity, and Tourists’ Emotional Experience on Behavioral Intention

“…Liu et al, 2019;N. Su & Reynolds, 2017;Usakli & Baloglu, 2011;Yang et al, 2020). More importantly, modeling also indicated that destination personality has an indirect effect on the intention to revisit as well as intention to recommend through self-congruity.…”

“…Therefore, self-congruity is known to have a direct effect on behavioral intention. Particularly, a relatively small number of tourism studies managed to confirm the relationship between self-congruity and intention to revisit (Kiliç & Sop, 2012;Yang et al, 2020) as well as intention to recommend (W. Kim & Malek, 2017;Rutelione et al, 2018). Others also established the relationship between self-congruity and tourist loyalty (i.e., revisit intention and recommend intention; Sop & Kozak, 2019).…”

“…As a result, this has led to several modeling antecedents, which include destination personality (Chen & Phou, 2013;Ekinci & Hosany, 2006;Kiliç & Sop, 2012;N. Su & Reynolds, 2017;Yang, Isa, & Ramayah, 2019), self-congruity (Edina & Beykan, 2016;Usakli & Baloglu, 2011;Yang et al, 2020), and behavior intention (intention to revisit and intention to recommend; Apostolopoulou & Papadimitriou, 2015;S. Huang et al, 2015;Z.…”

“…Liu et al, 2019;N. Su & Reynolds, 2017;Usakli & Baloglu, 2011;Yang et al, 2020). From the theoretical point of view, Sirgy (1982) argued that theory of self-congruity is based on the multidimensional nature of actual self-congruity, ideal self-congruity, social self-congruity, and ideal social self-congruity, which are frequently associated with the explanation and prediction of consumers' behavioral intention.…”

“…Liu et al, 2019;Sop & Kozak, 2019;N. Su & Reynolds, 2017;Yang et al, 2020), incorporating tourists' emotional experience in their conceptualization has been largely omitted. The lack of examining tourists' emotional experience leads to the failure of generating comprehensive understandings about tourists' behavioral intention.…”