The impacts of travel motives and information needs on destination image

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between travel motives, travel information needs, and destination image. Data were collected by using a structured questionnaire from 625 Tanzania inbound tourists. Multiple linear regression results provide evidence of the effects of travel motives on travel information needs and on cognitive but not on affective destination image. Travel information needs have a significant effect on nature based cognitive destination image and on risk reduction travel information needs. The efficiency travel information needs significantly influence cultural cognitive destination image. Travel information needs were observed not to exert a significant influence on the affective destination image. Furthermore, travel information needs mediate the influence of travel motives only on nature based destination image. The study provides insight into destination management organizations on the designing and packaging of travel information to create different types of destination image and entice tourists with different travel motives.