Award Date

5-2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Hotel Administration

Department

Hotel Administration

First Committee Member

Seyhmus Baloglu, Chair

Second Committee Member

Curtis Love

Third Committee Member

Carola Raab

Graduate Faculty Representative

Richard Lapidus

Number of Pages

135

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceived destination personality of Las Vegas and to examine the relationships among destination personality, self-congruity, and tourist's behavioral intentions. A convenience sample of 382 visitors to Las Vegas was surveyed and 368 usable questionnaires were analyzed. The findings of the study indicate that tourists ascribe personality characteristics to destinations and perceived destination personality of Las Vegas is five dimensional: vibrancy, sophistication, competence, contemporary, and sincerity. These dimensions have a positive influence on intention to return and intention to recommend. The study also supports the self-congruity theory within the context of tourism destinations, indicating that both actual and ideal self-congruity has positive impact on behavioral intentions. The study concludes that self-congruity is a partial mediator on the relationship between destination personality and behavioral intentions. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed within the context of destination branding and self-congruity theory.

Keywords

Branding (Marketing); Consumer behavior; Consumers' preferences; Tourism; Tourism--Marketing

Disciplines

Hospitality Administration and Management | Marketing | Tourism and Travel

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Comments

Signatures have been redacted for privacy and security measures.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


Share

COinS