Impact of destination brand experience on destination advocacy: trust and loyalty as moderators

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess impact of destination brand experience (DBE) on destination advocacy (DA) and to assess the role of trust and loyalty as moderators in the relationship. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected from a sample of 595 tourists from destinations in India. This study used structural equation modeling and moderated regression analysis to test the hypotheses. Findings Results confirm the impact of all four dimensions of DBE (sensory, behavioral, affective and intellectual) on DA. Furthermore, the moderating role of loyalty and trust is established. Research limitations/implications The study sample is drawn from only few Indian destinations. India boasts of several different types of destinations (wildlife, adventure, heritage, etc.). Future studies may do a comparative analysis of the influence of DBE dimensions across diverse destination types. Originality/value Although past studies have examined the association between DBE and outcomes such as visit intentions, intention to recommend a destination, there is paucity of research that explores the direct association between DBE and DA. The uniqueness of the study lies in associating loyalty and trust as moderators in the relationship of DBE and DA.