Affective Event and Destination Image: Their Influence on Olympic Travelers' Behavioral Intentions
Author: Kaplanidou, Kyriaki
Source: Event Management, Volume 10, Number 2, 2007 , pp. 159-173(15)
Publisher: Cognizant Communication Corporation
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Abstract:
Despite the growth of academic and business significance of sport tourism, little is known about the direct emotional experiences with sport events and their impacts on travelers' behavioral intentions. The purpose of this article is twofold: a) to examine whether Olympic travelers' trip purpose and characteristics (e.g., age, previous visits, continent of residence) influence their affective event and destination images and b) to test the impact of affective destination and event images on Olympic travelers' intentions to return to the host destination, and to travel to future Olympic Games. The results revealed Olympic travelers from different continents had different affective destination images, and that older travelers felt more positive about the image of the destination. Spectators perceived the event as more cheerful compared to tourists. Finally, the perceived destination's excitement and pleasantness predicted Olympic travelers' intentions to return to Athens in the future. Specific recommendations are provided for destination and event marketers.Keywords: AFFECTIVE IMAGE; INTENTIONS; MEGA-EVENTS; PREVIOUS VISITS; SPECTATORS
Document Type: Research article
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