Impact of destination advertising on tourists’ visit intention: The influence of self-congruence, self-confidence, and destination reputation

This study aimed to develop and validate a theoretical model for examining how different types of destination advertising (abstract vs. concrete) affect tourists’ visit intention. The hypotheses developed in this study were validated through four scenario experiments. The results showed that abstract destination advertising increased visit intention more than concrete destination advertising. Further, this study demonstrated that self-congruence is a mediator between destination advertising and visit intention. Destination reputation (good vs. average) moderates the effect of destination advertising on visit intention. When a destination has a good reputation, abstract destination advertising will lead to higher visit intention than concrete advertising. The relationships between the type of destination advertising and self-congruence and visit intention depended on tourists’ self-confidence. When tourist self-confidence is high, abstract destination advertising (vs. concrete) will lead to higher visit intention. The study findings have managerial and theoretical implications for destination advertising and precision marketing. •Abstract (vs. concrete) destination advertising increased tourists' visit intention.•Self-congruence is a mediator between destination advertising and visit intention.•Destination reputation moderates the effect of destination advertising on visit intention.•Self-confidence moderates the effect of destination advertising on visit intention.