The Benefits of Similarity between Tourist and Destination Personality
Published online on October 07, 2015
Abstract
When people choose they often prefer similarity, rather than complementarity. This paper argues that the evaluation of a holiday destination is no exception to this tendency. The study introduces tourist–destination personality similarity (TDPS) as a concept that is distinct from perceived overall fit (POF) between tourist and destination, and examines the effects of these two concepts of congruence on vacationers’ satisfaction and recommendation behavior. Examining a sample of actual vacationers (N = 308) in a holiday resort, TDPS and POF emerged as two related, but distinct concepts: TDPS was a driver of POF, which in turn increased tourists’ satisfaction and actual recommendations of the destination. Our results confirm TDPS as a valuable tool for tourism brand managers and tourism research.