Does uncertainty avoidance moderate the effect of self-congruity on revisit intention? A two-city (Auckland and Glasgow) investigation

Drawing upon self-congruity theory and Hofstede's notion of uncertainty avoidance, this paper empirically investigates the roles of destination personality, destination image, self-congruity, uncertainty avoidance, and revisit intention in two cities: Auckland, New Zealand and Glasgow, UK. Data were collected from a sample of 318 Chinese tourists in Auckland and 226 Chinese tourists in Glasgow. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to assess the measurement and structural models and to compare the relationship between these destinations. Findings showed that actual and ideal self-congruity served as mediators between destination personality, destination image, and revisit intention; uncertainty avoidance was not a significant moderator between self-congruity (i.e. actual and ideal) and revisit intention in both cities. Partial least squares–Henseler's multigroup analysis further indicated that the mediating role of actual self-congruity between destination image and revisit intention was especially strong for Auckland versus Glasgow. However, findings revealed non-significant differences between Auckland and Glasgow for all hypotheses (i.e. the mediating role of self-congruity and the moderating role of uncertainty avoidance). The present study offers theoretical and managerial implications for academics and practitioners.