Tourism Destination Images on Customer Experiences and Loyalty : A Study in East Malaysia

The main purpose of this research study was to investigate the impact of tourism destination images on customer experiences and loyalty. This study was conducted in four tourism destinations in East Malaysia which included Annah Rais Hot Spring, Bako National Park, Borneo Highlands, and Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. There were 228 sets of questionnaires were collected randomly from tourism destinations that have been selected in East Malaysia. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0 and SmartPLS 2.0 were used as analyses tools to analyse the results on data that had been collected. The statistical tools were used to appraisal measurement model and structural model. The outcomes from the analyses have indicated partially support for the hypotheses. The results showed that tourism destination image was significantly impact on customer experiences and customer loyalty. Therefore, this study provided valuable information for destination managers in better understanding about the important of tourism destination images that contribute in customer experiences and customer loyalty. This paper also offered the empirical evidence and supporting for both scholars and practitioners in the future study