Touristic destination image in light of the service dominant logic of marketing

Abstract

This paper analyzes the composition and internal arrangement of touristic seaside destinations in Brazil, in light of three not-yet tested theories: the Means-End Chain (Gutman, 1982) , the Service Dominant Logic of Marketing (Vargo & Lusch, 2004), and the organizational triad for local development proposed by Vazquez-Barquero (1999). An internet-based survey was distributed and completed by 178 people. The answers concentrated in four (among eight possible) destinations: Balneario Camboriu (31.4%), Rio de Janeiro (28%), Torres (20%) and Natal (8%). The data were first submitted to Confirmatory Factor Analysis to identify and to validate the set of components representing the Tourism Destination Image – TDI. The TDI constituting factors, and variables representing the Personal Values (as ancestors) and the Consumer Behavior (as descendants), were submitted to a Structural Equation Model to evaluate the TDI internal arrangement and inter-construct relationships. Results indicate that values related to self-respect, security and excitement influence the assessment of some TDI components, and that the last four constructs influence the likelihood of individuals to visit or to recommend the destinations.