Antecedents and Impacts of the Pilgrimage Destination Personality in the Tibetan Region: Case from Larong Wuming Buddhist Academy. (October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Lijun; Zhang, Xue; Cheng, Li
• Is Part Of: Journal of vacation marketing. Volume 28:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 469
• Page End: 485
• Publication Date: 2022-10
• Subjects: Pilgrimage tourism -- Tibetan region -- self-congruity -- involvement -- destination personality -- loyalty; Hospitality industry -- Marketing -- Periodicals; Travel -- Marketing -- Periodicals; Tourism -- Marketing -- Periodicals; 338.4791
• DOI: 10.1177/13567667211070013
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1356-7667

Abstract

The present research aims to explore the perceived destination personality of the Larong Wuming Buddhist Academy, a site that is a pilgrimage destination in the Tibetan region of China, and to examine the influence of involvement as an antecedent on the destination personality. This study further investigates the direct and indirect impact of a destination personality on loyalty. A total of 2454 online travel reviews and a convenience sample of 348 usable surveys were analyzed. The personalities of the pilgrimage destination in three specific dimensions were revealed, namely, the religious, agreeable, and ethereal dimensions. The findings verified the positive effect of tourist involvement on the pilgrimage destination personality. Furthermore, in the context of a pilgrimage, the mediating role of self-congruity and satisfaction between the destination personality and loyalty has been confirmed.