Factors that affect destination brand equity: the case of Soweto as a local tourist destination through a Generation Y perspective

Abstract

The study reviewed prior literature on destination brand equity, behavioural theory and generational theory. Non-probability sampling a form of convenience sampling was used to select respondents due to the difficulty in obtaining a sampling frame. A unique research model was developed to measure the constructs used for the study. A field study was conducted in Johannesburg, and research data was collected from 370 Generation Y cohort between the ages of 18-35 years old. Using the SPSS 24 and AMOS 24software program, structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to analyse the data set. The analytical results implied that all seven proposed hypotheses were supported. Furthermore, it was observed that the influence of destination brand loyalty towards destination brand equity was the most important relationship as it had the highest factor loading implying that loyal customers were more likely to revisit and recommend Soweto as a local tourist destination. Destination brand equity has scarcely been studied in a South African context. The purpose of this study is to address the proposed research gap, by empirically testing a proposed destination brand equity conceptual model through a scale purification process, ensuring its reliability and validity. This study used Soweto as the local tourist destination of choice. The contribution of this study was to enhance the comprehension of existing literature on the relationship between the predictor variables (destination brand image, destination brand awareness, destination brand perceived quality, customer attitudes, destination brand loyalty and behaviour) and the outcome variable (destination brand equity)