DETERMINANTS OF TOURISM DESTINATION IMAGE (TDI) AND ITS EFFECT ON TOURISTS SATISFACTION AND FUTURE TRAVEL BEHAVIOR INTENTION A SURVEY OF NORTHERN HISTORIC SITES, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Nowadays, when the world feels smaller as a result of the increasing flow of information, the competition of tourism between countries is getting bigger. This has caused that the marketing of the country, region, or locality has become vital. It is important for the destination country to send out the right signals so that the tourists have the right image of a destination. Once the image has been created, it might be hard to change it. Images play an essential role in destination choice matters and in this regard, as tourism services are intangible, images are said to become even more important than reality. Consequently, destination image studies are becoming the growing concerns to destination marketers, particularly to fill the gaps prevailing in creating a competitive destination, offering a satisfying tourist experience, and increasing the likelihood of repeat future visit. This research is being carried out to explore: (1) the factors that affect tourism destination image of Amhara region historic; and (2) the effects of these attributes over tourist satisfaction and future travel behavior intentions. In doing so, tourism marketers can strategically establish, reinforce and, if necessary, change the image of their destination by communicating the destinations' important attractions. The quantitative research was used as a research method to assess historic sites' destination image, and the structured questionnaire with face-to-face self-administrated survey was carried out to collect the empirical data. The descriptive analysis and explorative factor analysis, as well as Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression were applied for the analysis. The results showed that historic sites' image is perceived by the foreign tourists as a tourist destination relating to six dimensions: 'Tourist Leisure and Hospitality', 'Infrastructure', 'Natural attraction and Culture', 'Entertainment and Economy', 'Safety', Accommodation and Environment' and it also revealed that destination image is important to influence tourist satisfaction and future travel intention.