Inspiring desirability or ensuring feasibility: Destination image and psychological distance

Destination image plays a pivotal role in shaping the judgment of tourists. However, limited information is available on how tourists respond to various destination images. By using single-factor between-subject design, study 1 confirmed that cognitive image causes tourists to judge the destination in near-psychological distance and that affective image causes them to judge the destination in far psychological distance. By using single-factor and two-factor between-subject design separately, studies 2 and 3 further confirmed that a match between destination image and psychological distance of the tourists has a positive effect on the attractiveness and persuasiveness judgment toward the destination advertisement.