The effect of self-destination image congruity on destination brand equity: an empirical study of tourist destinations in Vietnam

Abstract

This study aims to explore the pathway of increasing destination brand equity through the linkage mechanism between a prerequisite factor (e.g., self-destination image congruity) and components of destination brand equity (e.g., destination brand awareness, destination brand image, destination perceived quality, destination brand satisfaction, destination brand loyalty) based on the Cognition-Affect-Conation (CA-C) theory. This study also evaluates the role of moderators (e.g., gender and visit frequency) in the influence mechanism of self-congruity on destination brand equity. A paper survey was used to collect data from 749 domestic tourists visiting Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An in Vietnam. The direct and moderating relationships were assessed using covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) and multi-group analysis. The findings support direct positive links between the dimensions of cognition, affect, and conation, except for the effect of destination brand awareness on perceived quality. This empirical study's findings strongly confirm that selfdestination image congruity is an important antecedent of destination brand equity via the sequential cognitive-affective-conative causal relationships in the influence of self-destination image congruity on destination brand equity. In addition, gender and visit frequency were found to play moderating roles in the influence mechanism of self-congruity on destination brand equity. Lastly, these findings have implications for destination managers.