Destination Image, Destination Attributes and Behavioral Intentions of Tourist: Case Study of Shiraz

The current study has been reexamined the previous investigations which carried out by scholars and researchers about destination image and its attributes. The survey particularly examines the influence of destination image attributes (cognitive image, affective image, and unique image) first on the overall perception of tourists by the destination, evaluating the effect of overall image on the future tourists‟ behavior in term of intention for recommendation and intention for revisit and finally assess the direct and positive effects of cognitive image, affective image, and unique image on the revisit intention and recommendation intention. The study has been developed based on the existent model that has been surveyed by researchers however focusing on the unique image of Shiraz and evaluating the direct effects of destination attributes individually on the behavioral intentions are the originality of this study. The data has been collected from Shiraz and the respondents were the incoming tourists. The results of this study show that only cognitive image among the destination image attributes influence the overall image of destination. From the future tourists‟ behavior only intention for recommendation has been supported. Ultimately from the direct effects of cognitive image, affective image, and unique image over the revisit intention and recommendation intention all of them have been accepted except the direct influence of affective image on the revisit intention. Moreover at the end of this study the managerial implications have been provided according to the results. As well as the limitations of this study the future guidelines for research has been elaborated in this thesis. Keywords: destination image, cognitive image, affective image, unique image, future behavior, Shiraz.