What do tourists look like to destination residents? Development of a tourist image scale from a high cultural distance perspective

Destination image has long been an important topic in tourism marketing research. However, tourist image has been largely ignored. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure tourist image in contexts of high cultural distance, taking Chinese tourists and UK residents as an example. Following initial item production, scale refinement, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and a criterion variable test, a 12-item scale in 4 dimensions (Respect, Friendliness, Appearance, Negative impression) was validated. This study innovatively extends the measurement of tourist image from contexts of low cultural distance to high cultural distance and shows the gradual nature of tourists' image perception from limited, increasing and highest level. The findings provide insights relevant to the civic education and the public diplomacy strategies of tourist source countries and sustainable development of destination tourism supported by both tourists and local residents.