From international travelling consumer to place ambassador: connecting place image to tourism satisfaction and post-visit intentions

Purpose The study aims to extend international marketing theory by (a) examining country image effects simultaneously from the perspectives of Product-Country Image (PCI), Tourism Destination Image (TDI), and General Country Image (GCI), and (b) using tourism satisfaction as the central construct in a comprehensive model that investigates post-visit effects in both the product and tourism domains. Design/methology International tourists from multiple countries were intercepted at the end of a tourism trip and interviewed in-person using a structured questionnaire, resulting in 498 usable responses for data analysis. The model comprised seven constructs measured with 28 variables and was tested with structural equation modelling. Findings The results support previously-established relationships within each of the PCI and TDI fields and, more importantly, (a) suggest cross-over effects between the two areas (e.g., product beliefs affect destination beliefs), and (b) indicate that tourism satisfaction affects not only tourism but also product post-visit intentions. Research limitations/implications The study uncovers a number of cross-effects between a country as destination and as producer, and establishes tourism satisfaction as a core construct that is relevant to both the tourism and product facets of place image. Practical implications Above all, the study's findings argue strongly in favour of greater coordinatiion between the "product" and "tourism" sides of place marketing. Originality/value The study is original in its integrative analysis of GCI, PCI, and TDI constructs as antecedents and consequences of the tourism experience and, among other original contributions, is the first to investigate the direct link between product beliefs, tourism satisfaction, and post-visit product-related intentions.