The Moderating Effect of Travel Experience in a Destination on the Relationship Between the Destination Image and the Intention to Revisit

Abstract

This article is the first outcome of a two-part study examining American college students' perceptions of South Korea as a travel destination. The study, as a whole, verifies whether students' destination image formation is affected differently by their travel experience in a destination. In other words, this article investigates whether students' travel experience during college reinforces their image formation in a destination and affects their future travel decision making and choices. A total of 770 valid questionnaires were collected from 4-year educational institutions in the United States through an online survey. Factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression were used to determine the moderating effect of travel experience to a destination on the relationship between the destination image and the intention to revisit. The results of this study showed that the travel experience reinforced individuals' image of a destination collectively and positively affected the intention to revisit; however, findings revealed that students' travel experience at the destination has negatively influenced on their image if it is related to the cultural factor.