3S’ Tourism Image and its Determining Factors: Evidence from North Cyprus

This empirical study aims to investigate the effect of cognitive image of 3S tourism on attitude of tourist to 3S tourism activities. This research also examines the impact of attitude to 3S tourism of visit intention and word of mouth as two behavioral outcomes. Data were collected from tourists who travelled to North Cyprus in the summer 2015. The results revealed that image of 3S tourism had a positive relevance to tourist attitude. Visit intention and word of mouth are enhanced by improving visitors‘ attitude toward 3S tourism. There is a managerial implication with regard to the promotion of cognitive image in North Cyprus beaches, which results in positive outputs. Restrictions and prospective directions for future studies are discussed. Keywords: 3S Tourism, Cognitive Image, Attitude, Visit Intention, Word of Mouth, North Cyprus.