| Abstract: |
This paper focuses on the customer-based brand equity for a regional tourist
destination, and develops a theoretical model including the causal
relationships between the dimensions of brand equity (awareness, image,
perceived quality and loyalty). Accordingly, the loyalty of international
tourists is considered as the main outcome variable for explanation in the
theoretical model. Moreover, the paper adopts an international tourism
approach and takes into account the hierarchy of destination brands, analyzing
the influence of country destination image (i.e. country as umbrella brand) on
the regional destination image. The empirical evidence obtained from a sample
of 253 international tourists visiting a regional destination in Spain
supports that loyalty towards the destination is positively influenced by the
perceived quality of the destination, which in turn is directly influenced by
the image and awareness of the destination. Additionally, our results support
for the idea that the perceptions of international tourists of a regional
destination are positively influenced by their perceptions of the country
destination where the region is located. The country’s brand therefore acts as
an “umbrella brand” for the region’s brand. |
| Keywords: |
Destination branding, country destination, regional destination, brand equity, image, perceived quality, awareness, loyalty |