Abstract
Greece’s image has suffered from inconsistent advertising campaigns which positioned Greece as the ideal destination for summer holidays and heritage tourism. This fragmented image was further distorted as the result of the economic crisis. However, less is known about the current perceptions of foreign tourists regarding the image of Greece. The aim of the present study is twofold: firstly, to assess tourists’ perceptions of the cognitive image of Greece and, secondly, to test the effects of the different cognitive image dimensions on tourists’ revisit and recommendation intentions. Toward that end, a survey was conducted in the city of Athens using a self-administered questionnaire which was delivered to foreign visitors. Results indicate that Greece is perceived as a destination for heritage and leisure tourism. Moreover, the cognitive component of destination image is comprised of four factors, namely, natural/cultural resources, leisure/recreation, tourist infrastructure, and experience/value. Not all cognitive image factors exert influence on tourists’ revisit intentions. More specifically, intentions to revisit Greece are primarily affected by the leisure/entertainment factor followed by experience/value and cultural/natural factors, while intentions to recommend are influenced mainly by the factors of experience/value and cultural/natural resources and to a lesser extent by the leisure/recreation factor. A number of managerial implications are discussed that would enable destination managers to better promote Greece and to entice tourists’ loyalty.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agapito, D., Valle, P. O., & Mendes, J. C. (2013). The cognitive-affective-conative model of destination image: A confirmatory analysis. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(5), 471–481.
Annual Tourism Reporting Greece. (2013). Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/5957/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/native
Baloglu, S. (2000). A path analytic model of visitation intention involving information sources, socio-psychological motivations, and destination image. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 8(3), 81–90.
Baloglu, S., & Mangaloglu, M. (2001). Tourism destination images of Turkey, Egypt, Greece, and Italy as perceived by US-based tour operators and travel agents. Tourism Management, 22(1), 1–9.
Baloglu, S., & McCleary, K. W. (1999). A model of destination image formation. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(4), 868–897.
Beerli, A., & Martin, J. D. (2004). Factors influencing destination image. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(3), 657–681.
Bisa, S. (2013). Rebranding Greece: Why nation branding matters. Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy, 4(1), 61–67.
Bozbay, Z., & Ozen, H. (2008). The assessment of Greece’s image as a tourism destination. MIBES: Transactions, 2(1), 14–27.
Chen, C., & Tsai, D. (2007). How destination image and evaluative factors affect behavioral intentions? Tourism Management, 28(4), 1115–1122.
Chi, C., & Qu, H. (2008). Examining the structural relationships of destination image, tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty: An integrated approach. Tourism Management, 29(4), 624–636.
Communication Strategy of Greece. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.eot.gr/sites/default/files/files_article/communication%20strategy_2010-2013_new_low.pdf
Driscoll, A., Lawson, R., & Niven, B. (1994). Measuring tourists’ destination perceptions. Annals of Tourism Research, 21(3), 499–511.
Echtner, C. M., & Ritchie, J. B. (1993). The measurement of destination image: An empirical assessment. Journal of Travel Research, 31(4), 3–13.
Economides, P. (2011). Retrieved from http://brandinggreece.com/re-branding-greece-speech-by-peter-economides/
Fakeye, P. C., & Crompton, J. L. (1991). Image differences between prospective, first-time, and repeat visitors to the lower Rio Grande Valley. Journal of Travel Research, 30(2), 10–16.
Gallarza, M. G., Saura, I. G., & García, H. C. (2002). Destination image: Towards a conceptual framework. Annals of Tourism Research, 29(1), 56–78.
Gartner, W. C. (1994). Image formation process. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 2(2–3), 191–216.
Gertner, D., & Kotler, P. (2004). How can a place correct a negative image? Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 1(1), 50–57.
Greece Tourist Arrivals. Retrieved from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/greece/tourist-arrivals
Hays, S., Page, S. J., & Buhalis, D. (2013). Social media as a destination marketing tool: Its use by National Tourism Organisations. Current Issues in Tourism, 16(3), 211–239.
Hui, T. K., & Wan, T. W. D. (2003). Singapore’s image as a tourist destination. International Journal of Tourism Research, 5(4), 305–313.
International Tourism. Number of arrivals. Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.ARVL?year_low_desc=true
Kaplanidou, K. (2009). Relationships among behavioral intentions, cognitive event and destination images among different geographic regions of Olympic games spectators. Journal of Sport & Tourism, 14(4), 249–272.
Kokkali, P., Koutsouris, A., & Chrysochou, P. (2011). Tourism destination image (TDI): The case of Pertouli, Greece.
Kouris, A. (2009). Destination brand strategy: The case of Greece. In Cai et al. (Eds.), Tourism branding: Communities in action (Bridging tourism theory and practice) (Vol. 1, pp. 161–175). Bingley: Emerald Group.
Llodrà-Riera, I., Martínez-Ruiz, M. P., Jiménez-Zarco, A. I., & Izquierdo-Yusta, A. (2015). A multidimensional analysis of the information sources construct and its relevance for destination image formation. Tourism Μanagement, 48, 319–328.
Martín-Santana, J. D., Beerli-Palacio, A., & Nazzareno, P. A. (2017). Antecedents and consequences of destination image gap. Annals of Tourism Research, 62, 13–25.
Nunnally, J., & Bernstein, I. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Obenour, W., Lengfelder, J., & Groves, D. (2005). The development of a destination through the image assessment of six geographic markets. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 11(2), 107–119.
Papadimitriou, D., Kaplanidou, K., & Apostolopoulou, A. (2015). Destination personality, affective image, and behavioral intentions in domestic urban tourism. Journal of Travel Research, 54(3), 302–315.
Prayag, G. (2009). Tourists’ evaluations of destination image, satisfaction, and future behavioral intentions—The case of Mauritius. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 26(8), 836–853.
San Martín, H., & Del Bosque, I. (2008). Exploring the cognitive–affective nature of destination image and the role of psychological factors in its formation. Tourism Management, 29(2), 263–277.
SETE. (2016). Greek tourism: Developments-prospects, Issue 1.
Stylos, N., Vassiliadis, C. A., Bellou, V., & Andronikidis, A. (2016). Destination images, holistic images and personal normative beliefs: Predictors of intention to revisit a destination. Tourism Management, 53, 40–60.
Tasci, A. D., & Gartner, W. C. (2007). Destination image and its functional relationships. Journal of Travel Research, 45(4), 413–425.
Tasci, A. D., Gartner, W. C., & Cavusgil, S. T. (2007). Conceptualization and operationalization of destination image. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 31(2), 194–223.
Vazou, E. (2014). From posters to posts: Greece moves beyond tourism campaigns to eDestination branding. International Journal of Cultural and Digital Tourism, 1(1), 38–52.
Vitouladiti, O. (2013). The comparison of secondary and primary tourism destination image: Serving as a bridge between expectation and experience and guiding effective marketing and management strategies. Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism, 8(1), 53–91.
Wang, C. Y., & Hsu, M. K. (2010). The relationships of destination image, satisfaction, and behavioral intentions: An integrated model. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 27(8), 829–843.
Yannas, P., & Simeli, I. (2012). The destination image of Thessaloniki. In Proceedings of International Conference on Contemporary Marketing Issues, Thessaloniki (pp. 672–677).
Zacharia, A., & Spais, G. (2017). Holiday destination image and personality of a Greek Island during an economic recession period and the intermediate effect of the utilitarian and non-utilitarian needs. Journal of Promotion Management, 23, 1–22.
Zhang, H., Fu, X., Cai, L. A., & Lu, L. (2014). Destination image and tourist loyalty: A meta-analysis. Tourism Management, 40, 213–223.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Triantafillidou, A., Yannas, P., Lappas, G. (2019). The Impact of the Destination Image of Greece on Tourists’ Behavioral Intentions. In: Sykianakis, N., Polychronidou, P., Karasavvoglou, A. (eds) Economic and Financial Challenges for Eastern Europe. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12169-3_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12169-3_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-12168-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-12169-3
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)