Relationship building in nation branding: The central role of nation brand commitment

The essence of nation branding is relationship building. Nation brand commitment is proposed in this study to indicate the strength of one’s relationship with a nation brand. A conceptual model is posited to explain how a nation brand impacts consumers’ traveling and product purchasing intention. It is discovered that nation brand trustworthiness positively predicts nation brand commitment, which in turn positively influences consumers’ traveling intention. The cultural value of uncertainty avoidance influences nation brand commitment in a negative way. Moreover, cultural distance attenuates the impact of nation brand commitment on traveling intention and product purchase intention. Implications and directions for future research are also provided.