destination image

Nowadays, the generated and shared content on tourist perceptions in social media is considered a fresh and far-reaching way to introduce the concept of the destination image. Destination decision-makers attempt to use this content to provide a deep understanding of tourism supply and demand. Marketers have to be particular about it when defining a proper destination image. In this regard, many researchers have emphasized the importance of using social media to tap into tourists’ perceptions of destination because it not only helps to deepen the administrators’ understanding of the demands of this type of tourism and to propose new approaches to determine the customers’ preferences in destination marketing but also directs new products and services to satisfy the tourists to a greater extent. Depending on the type of tourism, the contexts and criteria for this kind of virtual investigation are different. For example, in cultural destinations, tourists’ perceptions of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and services and products offered in virtual contexts are regarded as a tool to assess the tourists’ perceptions of that destination. The present study assumes that a holistic approach toward the analysis of tourist perception in the virtual sphere could be a well-qualified alternative to determine tourists’ wants in cultural destinations. Content analysis, which is a practical method in analyzing visual and textual data and  therefore is quite pertinent to the analysis of tourist perceptions, was adopted as the data analysis instrument in this study. To collect the data, two frequently-visited and widely-used websites with easy access to tourists’ comments, namely TripAdvisor and Flickr , were selected so that tourists’ experiences and perceptions could be gathered more authentically and conveniently. The findings demonstrated that the analysis of perceived authenticity of cultural destinations in Iran could provide the content required to create a destination image for purposeful marketing in Iran. Perceived Authenticity was categorized into three main themes: emotional, sensational, and rational.

Given the importance of desert sports in the development of sports tourism in desert areas, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of destination image on satisfaction and revisit the intention of desert sport tourists in the Lut desert of Iran as a desert sport destination. The research population was sport tourists who had visited the Lut desert (in Iran) in 2020. 208 valid and reliable questionnaires were distributed among the research samples that were selected through a convenience sampling approach. The model validity and the relationships among research variables were verified by using structural equation modeling with PLS. The research findings demonstrated that destination image of a desert sport destination has influenced desert sport tourists’ satisfaction and their revisiting intention. Moreover, tourists’ satisfaction had a significant effect on tourists’ revisit intention. The findings of this study can lead to a better understanding of behavioral mechanisms that can provide reliable principles for maintaining and developing sport tourism in desert sport destination destinations.    

Postmodern tourism is gradually shifting away from mass tourism toward more personalized, experience-based, and interest-driven forms of travel. In response to this trend, many destinations are increasingly emphasizing local cuisine and developing culinary tourism as one of the most dynamic and creative sectors of the tourism industry. However, the successful development of culinary tourism is not possible without a clear understanding of culinary tourists’ behavior. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to explain the behavior of product-oriented culinary tourists, the most specialized segment of culinary tourism, by developing a behavioral model using a mixed-method approach. In the qualitative phase, a meta-synthesis method was applied, while the quantitative phase employed structural equation modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS 4 to identify key dimensions, components, and indicators, as well as to examine the relationships among them. The sample size was determined using the Cochran formula and consisted of 285 participants, who were randomly selected from saffron culinary tourists visiting the Qaenat region. The findings indicate that tourists’ motivation, destination image, and perceived service quality have direct effects on satisfaction and indirect effects on behavioral intentions. Notably, perceived service quality also shows a direct and significant influence on behavioral intentions. Furthermore, the results highlight several key destination characteristics that strongly influence the quality of culinary tourism tours. These include cultural and culinary involvement, accommodation quality, farm-based experiences, food and beverage quality, reliable service delivery, a sense of safety and tranquillity, effective tour organization, and the quality of tour guide services .