An Investigation into the Mediating Role of Tourism Destination Image on the Association between Perceived Risks and Intention to Revisit: Tourists of Maranjab Desert

جغرافیاوتوسعه ناحیه ای

Article 9, Volume 21, Issue 3 - Serial Number 44, September 2023, Pages 233-261   

Document Type: Research-Case Study

DOI: 10.22067/jgrd.2023.83063.1295

Authors

Sayedeh Somayeh Hosseini^{* 1}; Yones Gholami²; Mohsen Seidali³; Mohammad Eskandari Sani⁴

¹Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Rural Planning, Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Planning,University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

²Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Tourism, Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

³Assistant Professor, Department of Geography and Tourism, , Faculty of Natural Resources and Earth Sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

⁴​ Associate Professor in Geography and Urban Planning, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the tourist destination image on the perceived risk and the behavioral intention of domestic tourists to revisit Maranjab desert. The data was collected through a questionnaire. The sample size, calculated by Sample Power software from among the domestic tourists (within the Maranjab desert territory) in the autumn and winter seasons, was 176 participants. For data analysis, the structural equation modeling in AMOS software and F test in SPSS software were used. The findings revealed that given the F test, the image inferred in different dimensions is effective in revisiting Maranjab desert. Based on the structural equation modeling, the security and health risks with a fit of 0.83 represented the most important risk factor affecting the interest in returning and revisiting the destination. This is caused by the water shortage, lack of proper sanitary facilities (toilets), the condition of sand dunes, the lack of control over desert and sand climbing vehicles, and dangerous driving which have led to the death of many people on the roads. This study proved that tourism destination image (TDI) positively and significantly affects visit intention through tourism risk perception (TRP). Hence, it is recommended that tourism destination managers pay due attention to the risk factors perceived by potential tourists. It is also recommended that the future research focus on examining the factors that are not controlled by tourism destination managers, i.e., the governmental policies concerning the management of tourism destinations in the new era.
 

Keywords

Destination Image; Tourist Loyalty; Perceived Risk; Maranjab Desert

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