Investigating the impact of destination image on travellers’ intention to revisit South Africa : a case of international tourists

Abstract

Destination image is widely accepted as an important aspect of successful tourism development and marketing of destinations. This research, therefore, seeks to investigate how experiences at a South African international airport influence travellers' image of South Africa as a tourist destination and their willingness to revisit the country. The study adopted the positivist philosophy, where it was quantitative nature. Participants were randomly selected through convenience sampling on-site at the airport. Findings of the study revealed that cognitive destination image, affective destination image, and conative destination image all have a direct and positive influence on a tourist's intention to revisit a destination. The main contribution of the study was that cognitive destination image (pre-conceived ideas about a destination) had the most influence on a traveller's intention to revisit that destination. This implies that tourism organisations and airport management companies in South Africa have to focus more on marketing the country as a travel destination in the home countries of those travellers before they visit South Africa.