A proposed measurement scale for mixed-images destinations and its interrelationships with destination loyalty and travel experience

The purpose of this study is threefold; to develop a destination image scale for mixed-images destinations; to investigate its impact on destination loyalty between first-time and repeat tourists; and to explore the moderating role of tourist's travel experiences in the relationship between destination image and destination loyalty. Data were collected based on a quota sample from 400 international tourists in Egypt and were analyzed using exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multi-group analysis. The results show that the proposed destination image scale has good reliability, validity, and predictability. It also supports the argument that tourists' cognitive and affective evaluations of the destination have significant effects on destinations' overall image. Additionally, while all destination image components have a significant impact on destination loyalty, those effects are significantly higher for repeat tourists than for first-time tourists. Finally, the study highlighted many practical implications for tourism marketers. •We propose a measurement scale to measure mixed-images destinations.•Tourists' cognitive and affective evaluations of the destination positively affect the overall destination image.•Tourists' travel experience moderates the relationships between destination image and destination loyalty.