The effect of destination image perceptions of festival tourists on behavioral intentions: The case of Cappadocia

The increasingly competitive conditions in the business world, which are getting tougher day by day, motivate both tourist businesses and destination managers to use marketing activities more effectively in order to capture a larger share of the tourism revenue pie. Festivals have emerged as important promotional and marketing tools for destinations, while the spending of festival attendees also represents a significant source of income for the region where the festival is held. One of the important conditions for gaining a competitive advantage between destinations is to create a positive impact on tourists' intentions to revisit. This will expand the destination's tourism business and revitalize the local economy. The tendency of tourists to revisit will be possible through a strong perceived destination image. In this study, the impact of the destination image perceptions of domestic tourists who attended festivals in the Cappadocia region on their behavioral intentions was investigated. For this purpose, data were collected through surveys from festival participants at four festivals held in the Cappadocia region during the summer months of 2023. The population of the study consisted of domestic tourists attending festivals in the Cappadocia region. The 402 survey responses obtained in the study, using convenience sampling, were entered into an appropriate statistical program and analyzed. The study found a significant and positive impact between festival participants' perceived destination image and their intention to revisit and recommend. Additionally, significant and positive effects were found between each of the sub-dimensions of the destination image variable (culture of the region, physical condition, and contributions of the festival to the local community) and the sub-dimension of the dependent variable of the study (intention to revisit). Moreover, significant and positive effects were identified between the sub-dimensions of the destination image variable (physical condition and contributions of the festival to the city) and the sub-dimension of the behavioral intention variable (intention to recommend). Finally, the study acknowledged certain limitations and provided recommendations for both practical implementation and future research directions.