Examining destinations’ personality and brand equity through the lens of expats: moderating role of expat’s cultural intelligence

The role of expat’s community has emerged as a cornerstone for branding tourism destinations. This study focused on 307 expats (across Korea and Turkey) and investigated the effects of perceived destination personality (DP) on destination brand equity (DBE), under the moderating influence of expat’s cultural intelligence (ECI). The findings empirically confirmed the significant positive effect of DP on DBE, however, the cross-country differences in DBE were significantly influenced by ECI. The study findings offer strategic directions for destination marketers to re-assess the vital role of global expats in boosting DP and DBE, especially when ECI remains superior over general tourists.