DOMESTIC TOURISTS’ EVALUATION OF THE IMAGE OF BA BE LAKE TOURIST DESTINATION

Abstract

The article established a scale to evaluate the image of Ba Be lake tourist destination. Through qualitative research methods combined with expert opinions, a destination image scale was identified, consisting of 8 components with 30 attributes. In particular, 26 independent variables are the cognitive, emotional and unique attributes of the destination image; 4 dependent variables are attributes of the overall destination image. Through 392 survey samples of domestic tourists, quantitative analysis identified 6 elements constituting the destination image with 21 independent variables, including: Natural attractiveness (5 variables), Cultural attractiveness (2 variables), Tourism and leisure characteristics (4 variables), Infrastructure and technical facilities (4 variables), Atmosphere of destination (4 variables), Accessibility and price (2 variables). Evaluation results of domestic tourists were as follows, 18/21 variables were positively rated, 3/21 variables were rated negatively. The overall image of Ba Be Lake tourist destination was positively evaluated. There was a statistically significant difference in destination image assessment among different groups of age and the number of visits to the destination.