Moderating role of soft power factors on the effect of country image on travel intent to Turkey: The China market

The destination image plays a decisive and explanatory role in the intention to revisit a country. Additionally, apart from the touristic attractions, a country's political appeal in terms of international relations can also influence the intention to revisit. The admiration of a country's culture by citizens of other countries, its commitment to universal human values, and its pursuit of legitimacy in foreign policy discourse and actions can reinforce a positive image and perception of that country. Based on this assumption, the aim of this research is to determine whether soft power elements (culture, political values, and foreign policy) have a moderating effect on the relationship between destination image and the intention to revisit Turkey. The research involved conducting face-to-face surveys with Chinese tourists selected through convenient sampling at various tourism destinations across Turkey. A total of 270 questionnaires were analyzed. The results of the analysis indicate that all three elements of soft power have a moderating effect on the relationship between destination image and the intention to revisit Turkey. It was observed that when Chinese tourists have a high perception of Turkey's soft power, their intention to revisit Turkey increases as their positive perceptions of the destination image also increase. Conversely, as Chinese tourists' soft power perceptions towards Turkey decrease, their intention to revisit also decreases. In conclusion, both destination image and soft power factors have the same effect on the intention to revisit Turkey, which is the dependent variable of the research model, in the same direction, particularly when considered together.onra doldurulacaktır.