EXTENDING THE TOURISM DESTINATION IMAGE CONCEPT INTO CUSTOMER-BASED BRAND EQUITY FOR A TOURISM DESTINATION

This paper explores the demand-side perspective on tourism destination phenomenon and investigates whether more comprehensive measure for its evaluation could be applied to the destination brand. Unlike many previous studies dealing mostly with a tourism destination image concept, the approach employed in this paper proposes a more comprehensive measure of destination image and includes the dimensions of tourism destination awareness, quality, and loyalty The theoretically proposed model was empirically verified for two competitive European tourism destinations (Slovenia and Austria) from the perspective of two culturally heterogeneous tourist markets (Germans and Croatians). The results imply that the traditionally investigated image concept represents the most important dimension in a destination's evaluation. However, for a more comprehensive evaluation the dimensions of tourism destination awareness, quality and loyalty should be added. Drawing on the results, the paper also offers some implications for tourism organizations in developing and implementing destination marketing strategies in foreign markets.