Product associations and tourism marketing

Despite the increasing number of studies on tourist destination image, prior research has mainly focused on the information processing perspective. This paper adopts an alternative viewpoint on how consumers’ attitudes towards a nation and its products may affect their intention to visit that destination. We posit that product associations may play a peripheral role in country image formation, which in turn affects our travel decisions. Furthermore, we posit that the effects of product associations may be moderated by one’s ethnocentrism and familiarity with the products or the source nation. This conceptual framework is consistent with past research linking international trade to international travel, cultural meaning transfer and consumption, and country-of-origin effects. We examine a series of hypotheses suggesting that satisfaction with a country’s products may add up over time to help build a favorable image and preference for a nation as a tourist destination. Other marketing implications and ideas for future research are also discussed