Tourism Destination Image and Visit Intention: Examining the Role of Familiarity

Tourism destination familiarity has been considered as a factor in shaping destination image and affecting tourists' behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of familiarity in the tourism decision-making process and to examine the influences of cognitive and affective images on visit intention. A survey was conducted in Chongqing, mainland China, to examine Chongqing residents' perceptions of Shanghai in relation to their familiarity with Shanghai. The results corroborated all the hypothesized relationships using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that familiarity was positively associated with destination image and visit intention and confirmed that destination image was positively related to visitation intentions. This study has advanced the researchers' understandings of the interrelationships between familiarity, destination image, and visit intention under the background of Chinese culture.