Investigating the Impact of Tourism Destination Brand Equity on Trust, Satisfaction and Loyalty to Destination Brand (Case Study: Bamyan-Afghanistan)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of the present research is to investigate the effect of the destination brand equity on domestic and foreign tourists emphasizing their satisfaction and trust regarding the tourism destination of Bamyan province in Afghanistan. This province is a famous and important part of the central plateau, which is the property of ancient civilization. Its distance from Kabul is 245 km. The research is applied, descriptive and correlational. The population of the study includes tourists of Bamyan tourism destination. The sample size based on Morgan’s table for an unlimited community was equivalent to 384 tourists, and finally 387 questionnaires were analyzed. The research findings indicate the destination brand awareness has a positive and significant effect on the destination brand quality (services and natural). The destination brand quality (services and natural) have a positive and significant effect on the destination brand value (functional and hedonic). The above-mentioned values have a positive effect on the destination brand trust. The destination brand trust has a significant effect on the destination brand satisfaction. Moreover, the destination brand satisfaction has a significant effect on brand introduction and tourists’ re-visit. This study examines the special value of the tourist destination brand for one of the lesser known tourist destinations in Afghanistan, namely Bamyan province and its attractions. The effect of this value on tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty has also been measured.