Moderating Role of Affective Destination Image on the Relationship between Tourists Satisfaction and Behavioural Intention: Evidence from Obudu Mountain Resort

Abstract

The aim of this study is to ascertain the moderating effect that affective destination image has on the relationship between tourist satisfaction and behavioural intention in a mountain tourism destination: Obudu Mountain Resort. Using a sample of 217 tourists who were very much first-time visitors, structural equation modelling (SEM) and hierarchical multiple regression were used to perform the analysis. Our findings provide support for the entire hypothesis developed except for the direct relationship between cognitive image and behavioural intention. The result of the hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that affective destination image has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between tourist satisfaction and behavioural intention.

Keywords: Cognitive image, Affective image, Tourists satisfaction, Behavioural intention, Mountain tourism