THE INTERPLAY OF DESTINATION IMAGE AND SERVICE QUALITY IN TOURISTS’ BEHAVIORAL INTENTION IN GUESTHOUSE TOURISM

Abstract

This paper explores the pivotal role of destination image and service quality as key determinants of tourists’ behavioral intentions, with a particular focus on guesthouse tourism in the Maldives. As guesthouse tourism continues to thrive across the Maldivian islands, it has emerged as a vital driver of local economic development. Offering a range of short-term accommodations, including apartments, small dwellings, and locally owned lodgings, guesthouse tourism provides affordable alternatives for travelers while making substantial social and economic impact on island communities. Understanding the complex relationship between destination image, service quality and tourist behavioral intentions   such as the intention to visit, revisit, and recommend, is therefore critical for promoting sustainable tourism. This study adopts the SERVQUAL model by Parasuraman et al. (1988) to operationalise service quality across its five components along with cognitive-affective-conative destination image model by Echtner et al. (1993), to depict tourists ‘perception across its three dimensions.