Marketing

Destination image

Neuroscience

Extant taxon

Biology

Cognition

Tourism

Archaeology

Computer science

Destinations

Business

Evolutionary biology

Advertising

Psychology

Geography

Image (mathematics)

Meta-analysis

Internal medicine

Artificial intelligence

Medicine

Loyalty

Tourism Management

Extant literature is inconclusive on the linkage between destination image and tourist loyalty, due to the multi-dimensional nature of the two concepts. The present study attempts to draw some informative conclusions about the relationship through a meta-analysis. A research framework was proposed in which 14 hypotheses were developed. A total of 66 independent studies were synthesized and analyzed. The findings reveal that the impact of destination image on tourist loyalty is significant, with varying degrees. Specifically, overall image has the greatest impact on tourist loyalty, followed by affective image and cognitive image. Cognitive–affective joint image fails to demonstrate a stable impact on tourist loyalty. Of the three levels of tourist loyalty, destination image has the greatest impact on composite loyalty, and then on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty, successively. The findings are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical implications for destination marketing and management.

Destination image and tourist loyalty: A meta-analysis