Document Type : Research Article
Author
Department of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
Abstract
A B S T R A C T
Destination branding is a critical strategy for sustainable development, wherein the tourist experience plays a pivotal role in its enhancement. However, a theoretical and practical gap persists regarding the application of specialized satisfaction-measurement models to the assessment of place branding in tourism destinations. This quantitative study adopted a descriptive-analytical and correlational research design. The statistical population comprised all incoming tourists visiting Masal County during the first half of 2025. Based on Cochran's formula, the sample size was calculated at 381 participants. To enhance precision and compensate for non-response rates, 500 questionnaires were distributed, yielding 456 usable responses (a 91% response rate) for final empirical analysis. Data were collected using a questionnaire grounded in the HOLSAT model, and its validity and reliability formally confirmed. Data analysis was conducted utilizing paired-sample t-tests and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) executed in SmartPLS. The findings revealed a statistically significant gap between tourists' expectations and perceptions across most destination quality dimensions. The largest negative gaps were observed in environmental cleanliness (-1.20) and tourism infrastructure (-1.10). Tourism attractions emerged as the strongest predictor of tourist satisfaction (β = 0.412), whereas destination image was identified as the most influential factor driving place branding (β = 0.683). Natural attractions and local community hospitality represent Masal's primary tourism strengths, whereas infrastructure, environmental cleanliness, and cultural events fall significantly short of tourist expectations. Furthermore, the findings indicate that narrowing the gap between tourist expectations and perceptions - by enhancing satisfaction, improving destination image, and upgrading the quality of visitor experiences - strengthens Masal County's tourism brand and elevates its competitive appeal as a destination.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Tourism is recognized as a vital sector of the global economy and a highly effective driver of sustainable development. Beyond generating employment and fostering economic prosperity, it plays an essential role in preserving cultural heritage, stimulating regional development, and enhancing the quality of life in local communities. However, as competition among tourism destinations intensifies, possessing natural and cultural attractions alone is no longer sufficient for success. Rather, a destination's capacity to deliver favorable experiences, foster a positive destination image, and create perceived value for tourists has become a critical determinant of competitive advantage. Hence, destination branding serves as a core strategy in tourism management and marketing, playing a critical role in enhancing competitive positioning and fostering sustainable development. Modern paradigms suggest that a destination brand is shaped less by advertising and promotional campaigns and more by tourists' overall experiences and evaluations. Accordingly, a satisfying experience can cultivate a favorable destination image, heighten tourist loyalty, drive repeat visitation, and ultimately reinforce the destination brand.
Conversely, a discrepancy between tourist expectations and the destination's actual performance diminishes visitor satisfaction, negatively impacting the destination's image and competitive position. In this context, Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory posits that satisfaction results from a comparative evaluation between pre-trip expectations and post-trip perceptions of destination performance. Furthermore, the HOLSAT model - recognized as one of the most robust frameworks for measuring tourist satisfaction - enables the simultaneous evaluation of expectations and perceptions, thereby identifying a destination's strengths and weaknesses across various dimensions of the travel experience. Although numerous studies have examined the relationships among destination quality, tourist satisfaction, destination image, and loyalty, most HOLSAT-based research studies have focused exclusively on evaluating tourist satisfaction, leaving its role in explaining the place branding process. Furthermore, in Iran - particularly within emerging tourism destinations - few empirical studies have integrated perceived destination quality, tourist satisfaction, destination image, and place branding into a unified framework. Despite possessing Hyrcanian forests, alpine pastures, waterfalls, and a rich local culture, Masal County remains an emerging destination in northern Iran that lacks a comprehensive assessment of how tourists’ experiences influence its destination image and overall place brand. Accordingly, grounded in the HOLSAT model and Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory, this study examines the gap between tourist expectations and perceptions while elucidating the roles of perceived quality, tourist satisfaction, and destination image in branding Masal County as a tourism destination. The novelty lies in proposing an integrated framework that captures the interrelationships among these variables, while simultaneously applying the HOLSAT model to both satisfaction measurement and destination branding.
Methodology
This study employed an applied research orientation and a quantitative, descriptive-analytical design anchored in correlational analysis. The theoretical framework was formulated based on Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory, the HOLSAT model, and destination branding literature. The structural relationships among perceived destination quality, tourists’ satisfaction, destination image, and place branding were evaluated using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population encompassed all incoming tourists visiting Masal County during the first half of 2025, estimated at approximately 50,000 visitors based on statistics provided by the Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department. The minimum required sample size was determined to be 381 participants, using Cochran's formula. To enhance estimation precision and compensate for incomplete questionnaires, 500 questionnaires were distributed across major tourism attractions utilizing convenience sampling. Ultimately, 456 valid questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed, yielding a response rate of 91%. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire grounded in the HOLSAT model. The questionnaire comprised three sections: demographic information, tourists’ expectations and perceptions assessment across six dimensions - tourism attractions, infrastructure, safety and security, host community hospitality, cultural events, and environmental cleanliness - and the measurement of destination image and place branding. All items were evaluated employing a five-point Likert scale. Content validity was confirmed by experts in tourism and marketing, while construct validity was established through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
Additionally, Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging between 0.81 and 0.93 demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency reliability. Data analysis was executed at both descriptive and inferential levels. Initially, paired-sample t-tests were employed to evaluate the gap between tourists’ expectations and perceptions across the various HOLSAT model dimensions. Subsequently, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was conducted in SmartPLS to test the hypotheses and examine direct and indirect relationships among variables. Model fit was evaluated using R², Q², f², and GOF indices, while the mediating role of tourist satisfaction was assessed using the Variance Accounted For (VAF) index.
Results and Discussion
The findings revealed a statistically significant discrepancy between tourists’ expectations and perceptions across most destination quality dimensions in Masal County. Results from the paired-sample t-test indicated that the perceived performance of the destination fell below the level of tourists’ expectations for the majority of indicators, aligning with Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory. According to this theory, a wider gap between initial expectations and actual destination performance increases the likelihood of diminished satisfaction, a weakened destination image, and reduced revisit intentions. Consequently, the findings indicate that although Masal possesses valuable natural and tourism assets, existing services and facilities have yet to fully satisfy the growing expectations of visitors. Examination of the distinct HOLSAT dimensions revealed that the largest negative gaps were observed in environmental cleanliness (-1.20) and tourism infrastructure (-1.10), respectively. These results underscore that beyond enjoying natural attractions, tourists expect destinations to maintain high standards regarding environmental management, amenities, accessibility, transportation, and broader tourism infrastructure.
Conversely, host community hospitality was the sole dimension in which tourists' perceived destination performance surpassed their initial expectations. This finding indicated that the welcoming behavior and warm interactions of the host community represent one of Masal's primary competitive advantages, serving as a core element of its tourism brand identity. Furthermore, structural equation modeling (SEM) results demonstrated that destination quality dimensions exert both direct and indirect effects on tourists’ satisfaction. Among these dimensions, tourism attractions had the strongest influence on visitors’ satisfaction (β = 0.412), confirming the critical role of Masal county's natural landscapes, Hyrcanian forests, alpine pastures, and broader ecotourism capabilities in shaping a positive tourists’ experience. Additionally, tourists’ satisfaction had a positive and statistically significant effect on destination image, which in turn emerged as the strongest predictor of place branding (β = 0.683). This finding indicates that the success of a tourism brand depends less on the physical attributes of the destination and more on the quality of the experience and the cognitive perceptions formed by tourists. Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that tourist satisfaction plays an effective mediating role in the relationship between destination quality and place branding. This implies that the impact of destination attributes on tourism brand equity is primarily transmitted through visitors’ experience and satisfaction. Therefore, merely expanding infrastructure or promoting natural attractions is insufficient to establish a successful tourism brand; rather, these attributes should be translated into satisfying and memorable tourists’ experiences. Overall, the findings demonstrate that Masal possesses significant potential to emerge as a flagship nature-based tourism brand in Iran. However, achieving this objective requires an integrated approach encompassing natural resource conservation, service quality enhancement, infrastructure improvement, environmental cleanliness management, cultural event development, and visitors’ experience management - a holistic strategy that can ultimately reinforce destination image, foster tourists’ loyalty, and realize sustainable tourism development.
Conclusion
The study investigated how perceived destination quality influences tourists’ satisfaction, clarifying its downstream effects on destination image and place branding in Masal County. Operationalizing the HOLSAT framework, expectation-perception discrepancies were assessed across multiple quality dimensions, after which the structural interactions connecting destination quality, satisfaction, destination image, and place branding were analyzed via structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that while Masal County possesses valuable natural, ecological, and cultural assets, a considerable gap persists between tourists’ expectations and perceived destination performance across certain service and infrastructure dimensions. The most pronounced negative discrepancies pertained to environmental cleanliness and tourism infrastructure, whereas local community hospitality and natural attractions emerged as the destination's primary strengths. These results underscore that a sustainable competitive advantage cannot be built solely upon natural resources; rather, destination management quality and the capacity to meet tourists’ expectations play a decisive role in achieving tourism brand success. Furthermore, structural model results demonstrated that destination quality directly influences tourists’ satisfaction, which in turn plays a crucial role in shaping a positive destination image. Furthermore, destination image emerged as the strongest factor influencing place branding, underscoring the vital role of tourists' mental perceptions in the success of tourism brands. The mediating role of tourists’ satisfaction between destination quality and place branding was also confirmed, indicating that the impact of objective destination attributes translates into brand equity only when these features foster a favorable, satisfying, and memorable visitor experience. Consequently, tourists’ experience can be viewed as the critical link connecting a destination's resources and capabilities with its brand equity - a finding that highlights the vital necessity of experience management alongside the stewardship of physical infrastructure and attractions. Theoretically, this research advances a holistic framework for destination brand building by synthesizing the HOLSAT model, Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory, and place branding scholarship. Whereas conventional literature predominantly applies the HOLSAT as a standalone metric for tourists’ satisfaction, this study demonstrates its broader utility as a analytical lens for deciphering destination image formation and branding dynamics. The core theoretical contribution lies in proposing an integrative structural model that concurrently models the pathways among destination quality, visitor satisfaction, destination image, and place branding - offering a conceptual baseline for future inquiries in destination marketing and management.
From a managerial perspective, the research findings suggest that tourism planners and managers in Masal County should not focus tourism development solely on increasing visitor numbers or promoting natural attractions. Instead, managing the quality of the tourists’ experience should be integrated as a primary priority in tourism policymaking. Improving transportation infrastructure, developing accommodation and recreational facilities, upgrading waste management systems and environmental cleanliness, enhancing visitor information services, systematically organizing tourism spaces, and hosting regular cultural events can bridge a significant portion of the existing gap between tourists’ expectations and perceptions. In parallel, protecting natural landscapes, preserving the Hyrcanian forests and alpine pastures, supporting indigenous culture, and empowering local community participation represent Masal's most critical strategic assets for consolidating its tourism brand identity. Furthermore, formulating a comprehensive destination branding strategy grounded in nature, local culture, and visitors’ experience can elevate the county's competitive position in both domestic and international tourism markets.
Despite its contributions, the findings should be interpreted in light of several limitations. First, data collection was conducted within a single cross-sectional timeframe among tourists present in Masal County, which restricts the direct generalizability of the results to other tourism destinations. Second, the reliance on self-reported survey data may be susceptible to subjective response bias. To address these restrictions, future research could adopt longitudinal designs, conduct cross-destination comparative studies, and employ mixed-methods approaches (combining quantitative and qualitative techniques) to achieve a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying destination brand formation. Furthermore, exploring the role of emerging technologies, social media, digital marketing, smart tourism experiences, and online tourists’ behavior can open new horizons in destination branding research. Overall, the results demonstrate that the success of Masal county's tourism brand depends primarily on destination managers' capacity to transform natural and cultural assets into a high-quality, satisfying, and enduring visitor experience. As the gap between tourists’ expectations and perceptions narrows, a more favorable destination image will take shape. Consequently, Masal’s tourism brand will be strengthened, visitors’ loyalty will increase, and the foundation will be laid for achieving long-term competitive advantage and sustainable tourism development.
Funding
There is no funding support.
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.
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