Examining the Effects of Potential Tourists’ Destination Familiarity on Destination Image and Travel Intention: A Mixed Approach of PLS-SEM and fsQCA

A conceptual framework was proposed to examine the inter-relationships among non-behavioral destination familiarity (self-described, educational, and informational familiarity), destination image, and travel intention in the context of US tourists visiting Singapore. A total of 313 usable online survey responses were collected via Qualtrics; the data were analyzed through Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The results confirmed that informational familiarity and self-described familiarity all positively influenced prospective US tourists’ destination image perceptions and travel intentions. The findings concluded that destination familiarity, specifically non-behavioral aspects played important roles in shaping tourists’ perceptions and decision-making. Moreover, the cognitive destination image can be influenced by affective destination image, and the former was key to influence tourists’ travel intention. The joint analysis of PLS-SEM and fsQCA provided a fine-graiend insights into the variable relationships. Managerial implications are proposed for tourism organizations to understand tourists’ behaviors better.