Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Master of Tourism Marketing, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

2 Assistant Professor in Tourism Management. University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

3 Foundation Professor of Tourism, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia

Abstract

lthough much research has been done on destination branding, the study of destination personality remains limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the destination personality of Iran and to examine the relationship between destination personality and behavioral intentions of international tourists using the Aaker model (1997). The statistical population of this study is Iran’s international inbound tourists. The research questionnaire was distributed randomly among sample members. From a total of 420 questionnaires, 407 questionnaires were analyzed. The findings of the exploratory factor analysis and multivariate regression analysis indicate that tourists ascribe personality characteristics to destinations and that the perceived destination personality of Iran in the eyes of international tourists has three dimensions: hospitality and culture, sincerity, and vibrant.

Keywords

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