Tourists’ Perspective of the Brand Image of Mauritius

International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 95-106, 2010

12 Pages Posted: 8 Jul 2011

See all articles by Perunjodi Naidoo

Perunjodi Naidoo

University of Technology, Mauritius (UTM)

Prabha Ramseook-Munhurrun

University of Technology, Mauritius (UTM)

Ramesh Durbarry

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: 2010

Abstract

Brand image is a prominent marketing tool for many destination marketers. A strong brand image is equivalent to a rise in first-time customer purchase, positive word-of-mouth (WOM) and customer loyalty. Mauritius is a popular holiday destination for Europeans, however, there is a lack of research on the perceptions of its brand image among tourists visiting the island. The current study aims to fill this gap by investigating the brand image of Mauritius among European tourists. A conceptual framework that enables to establish the link between destination positioning, brand image, tourists’ expectations and perceptions, customer value, word-of-mouth and destination loyalty is proposed. Descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA are used to analyze the results. The results reveal that the brand image of Mauritius is associated mostly with the Sun, Sea and Sand (3S), a peaceful and relaxing environment, and the hospitality of Mauritians. In order to consolidate the brand image of Mauritius, the weak brand image attributes have to be redressed. Results also reveal positive relationships among perceptions, customer value, loyalty and WOM. The ANOVA analysis reveals that gender and repeat visit have various degrees of influence on brand image, while age show no indication of significant impact.

Keywords: brand image, destination, Mauritius, tourism, word-of-mouth, repeat visit

JEL Classification: M31

Suggested Citation

Naidoo, Perunjodi and Ramseook-Munhurrun, Prabha and Durbarry, Ramesh, Tourists’ Perspective of the Brand Image of Mauritius (2010). International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 95-106, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1880309

Perunjodi Naidoo (Contact Author)

University of Technology, Mauritius (UTM) ( email )

La Tour Koenig
Pointe-aux-Sables
Pointe aux Sables
Mauritius

Prabha Ramseook-Munhurrun

University of Technology, Mauritius (UTM) ( email )

La Tour Koenig
Pointe-aux-Sables
Pointe aux Sables
Mauritius

Ramesh Durbarry

affiliation not provided to SSRN

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