Publication: Sports icons in nation branding the interplay of motivations, culture and country attachement
Authors
Vila López, Natalia ; Pascual del Riquelme Martínez, María Isabel ; Küster Boluda, Inés ; Aragonés Jericó, Cristina
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Publisher
Elsevier
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.10.012
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
© 2024 The Authors. This document is the Published Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2024.10.012
Abstract
This study investigates the relationships among three main concepts: celebrity’s media exposure, celebrity’s
image, and country image. Additionally, the moderating role of tourists’ (i) motivations, (ii) culture, and (iii)
country attachment was investigated. To this end, 938 real tourists visiting Spain from 3 nationalities were
approached: the UK, France, and Germany. An international market research company provided the data using
an online questionnaire among its panelists. Structural equation modelling with JAMOVI, based on R, was used.
Our results showed the relevance of both media activities and the image of sports celebrities to enhance the
perceived image of the country they represent and, in turn, tourists’ intention to revisit and buy national
products. First, the image of sports celebrities could improve Spain’s brand, mainly (i) among those who travel
for sports motives, (ii) from England, and (iii) being highly attached to Spain. Second, the country’s image will
augment tourists’ intention to revisit the country, mainly (i) among non-sports travellers, (ii) from France, and
(iii) low-attached tourists. The effectiveness of celebrities’ media exposure was confirmed, supporting the
Symbolic Communication Theory. Also, sports celebrity endorsement on destination image has been probed,
strengthening the usefulness of the Image Transfer Theory. Lastly, the relationship between perceptions, attitudes,
and behaviours has been demonstrated, as stated in the Theory of Planned Behavior. To conclude,
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) could invest in communication using sports celebrities as the
campaign’s backbone to improve the Spanish destination image. This policy will work better among (i) those
who travel for sports motives, (ii) those from England and (iii) those who are highly attached to Spain.
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Citation
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2024, Vol. 61, pp. 316-327
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