The effects of product-country image and tourism destination image on international consumer behaviour: Comparative analysis of Turkey, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of "product-country image" and "tourism destination image" on international consumer behaviour. Product-country image represents the attitudes towards products from various countries. It is also called "country of origin image". Tourism destination image is the beliefs towards a destination (in this study towards a country). Questionnaires of the study were conducted in Sweden and the Netherlands; product-country and tourism destination image of Turkey, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands were compared. The variables comprised of "cognitive/affective country image, product/destination familiarity, product/destination beliefs and product/destination receptivity" were modelled and hypotheses were formed. In-depth research was carried out by asking the respondents open-ended questions as well. In data analysis, "descriptive analysis, analysis of open-ended questions, exploratory factor analysis, construct validity and reliability, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling", and then hypotheses testing were made respectively and the results were interpreted. According to the results, cognitive country image has more influence on product beliefs whereas affective country image has more influence on destination beliefs. International companies may benefit from the results when preparing market entry and positioning in mentioned countries. Both producers and companies in tourism sector may develop strategies to strengthen their image. Turkey is compared with countries that are famous for their product quality such as Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden; and Spain where tourism revenues are high. The study was aimed at contributing to the literature with its findings; and being useful for producers, importers, exporters, entrepreneurs, businesses, citizens, students, academics and most importantly Turkey. Keywords: Product-Country Image, Tourism Destination Image, Cognitive Country Image, Affective Country Image, Turkey