The Influence of DMO Advertising on Specific Destination Visitation Behaviors [Summary]

Using data provided by travelers to a small college town from Midwestern U.S., this research examines the influence of destination-branded, print, and online advertising media on travelers’ visitation of advertised attractions, restaurants, shops, and outdoor activities. The strongest predictors of specific visitation behaviors are DMO-branded media (guidebooks and websites) and print media. This research has three notable contributions: (1) provides a solid theoretical base for understanding what happens beyond the main visitation decision, (2) provides insight into cross-media advertising in tourism, and (3) links pre-visit advertising to actual visitation behavior, instead of intentions to perform a behavior.