Sports icons in nation branding the interplay of motivations, culture and country attachement

Abstract

This study investigates the relationships among three main concepts: celebrity's media exposure, celebrity's image, and country image. Additionally, the moderating role of tourists' (i) motivations, (ii) culture, and (iii) country attachment was investigated. To this end, 938 real tourists visiting Spain from 3 nationalities were approached: the UK, France, and Germany. An international market research company provided the data using an online questionnaire among its panelists. Structural equation modelling with JAMOVI, based on R, was used. Our results showed the relevance of both media activities and the image of sports celebrities to enhance the perceived image of the country they represent and, in turn, tourists' intention to revisit and buy national products. First, the image of sports celebrities could improve Spain's brand, mainly (i) among those who travel for sports motives, (ii) from England, and (iii) being highly attached to Spain. Second, the country's image will augment tourists' intention to revisit the country, mainly (i) among non-sports travellers, (ii) from France, and (iii) low-attached tourists. The effectiveness of celebrities' media exposure was confirmed, supporting the Symbolic Communication Theory. Also, sports celebrity endorsement on destination image has been probed, strengthening the usefulness of the Image Transfer Theory. Lastly, the relationship between perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours has been demonstrated, as stated in the Theory of Planned Behavior. To conclude, Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) could invest in communication using sports celebrities as the campaign's backbone to improve the Spanish destination image. This policy will work better among (i) those who travel for sports motives, (ii) those from England and (iii) those who are highly attached to Spain.