Jimenez-Ga cía, Deybe ; He edia, O e Espinoza; Lizana, Edua C uz; C uz-Ta illo,
Jose Joel; Millones-Liza, Dany Yude
A icle
Des ina ion image and b and alue as p edic o s o ou is
beha io : Happiness as a media ing link
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Jimenez-Ga cía, Deybe ; He edia, O e Espinoza; Lizana, Edua C uz; C uz-Ta illo,
Jose Joel; Millones-Liza, Dany Yude (2025) : Des ina ion image and b and alue as p edic o s o
ou is beha io : Happiness as a media ing link, Adminis a i e Sciences, ISSN 2076-3387, MDPI,
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Ci a ion: Jimenez-Ga cía, D.,
Espinoza He edia, O., C uz Lizana, E.,
C uz-Ta illo, J. J., & Millones-Liza, D.
Y. (2025). Des ina ion Image and
B and Value as P edic o s o Tou is
Beha io : Happiness as a Media ing
Link. Adminis a i e Sciences,15(5),
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A icle
Des ina ion Image and B and Value as P edic o s o Tou is
Beha io : Happiness as a Media ing Link
Deybe Jimenez-Ga cía 1, O e Espinoza He edia 1, Edua C uz Lizana 1, Jose Joel C uz-Ta illo 1,*
and Dany Yude Millones-Liza 2,3
1Escuela P o esional de Ma ke ing y Negocios In e nacionales, Facul ad de Ciencias Emp esa iales,
Uni e sidad Pe uana Unión, Ta apo o 22160, Pe u; deybe [email p o ec ed] (D.J.-G.);
[email p o ec ed] (O.E.H.); edua [email p o ec ed] (E.C.L.)
2Unidad de Ciencias Emp esa iales, Escuela de Posg ado, Uni e sidad Pe uana Unión, Lima 15102, Pe u;
[email p o ec ed]
3Escuela P o esional de Adminis ación, Facul ad de Ciencias Emp esa iales, Uni e sidad Pe uana Unión,
Lima 15102, Pe u
*Co espondence: jose.c [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : Tou ism has become one o he mos impo an indus ies in he business wo ld,
signi ican ly impac ing a ious economies. In o de o ha e a be e unde s anding o
ou is beha io , his s udy aims o examine he image o he des ina ion and he alue o
he b and as p edic o s o he beha io o ou is s, assuming happiness as a media ing link.
F om a quan i a i e, non-expe imen al and c oss-sec ional me hodological pe spec i e,
he in o ma ion o a sample o 425 ou is s was analyzed. The esul s suppo ha ou is
happiness p edic s hei in en ion o e isi a ou is des ina ion (Pa h Coe icien 0.921).
Also, ou is happiness and he in en ion o e isi p edic he in en ion o ecommend
a ou is place. These esul s sugges ha ou is happiness plays a undamen al ole in
aspec s such as loyal y and he p omo ion o a des ina ion, so i is impo an o ou ism
companies o p omo e ou is happiness as a ma ke ing s a egy ha d i es hem o wo d-
o -mou h ecommenda ions and he in en ion o e isi a ou is des ina ion.
Keywo ds: des ina ion image; b and alue; ou ism; ou is happiness; ou is beha io
1. In oduc ion
Tou ism has become one o he mos impo an indus ies on he plane , signi ican ly
impac ing a ious economies (Godo ykh e al.,2023;C.-C. Lee e al.,2021;S.-H. Liang
& Lai,2023). An example o his is he inc ease in compe i ion be ween des ina ions, he
de elopmen o ou ism s a egies (Todd e al.,2017) and he sus ainable economic g ow h
o many coun ies (Manhas e al.,2016). Gi en his end, i is impo an o p edic ou is
beha io , aking as a e e ence he de elopmen o he des ina ion b and as an essen ial
p ac ice o build posi i e emo ional bonds (Ampoun olas,2019).
In he dynamics o a ou is , hei beha io and he alue o he b and, he image o he
des ina ion also eme ges, conside ed as a de e mining ac o in he in en ions o ecommend
o e isi a place; his is s uc u ed om he pe cep ions, belie s and emo ions ha ou is s
ha e o a ou is des ina ion (Chang,2021;Dam & Dam,2021). All o his becomes a men al
s uc u e ha is in luenced by a a ie y o ac o s, such as pe sonal expe ience, p omo ional
campaigns, media and he en i onmen , and plays an impo an ole in ou is beha io ,
speci ically in ecommending and e isi ing a ou is place (Fayzullae e al.,2021). Thus,
i is s a ed ha a a o able image has he abili y o inc ease in e es and a ac ion owa ds
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/admsci15050176
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 2 o 15
a des ina ion, while an un a o able o nega i e image could disconnec and sca e away
ou is s (Cues a-Valiño e al.,2022).
A a o able image gi es ise o b and alue, whose a ibu es can be angible and
in angible, and his di e en ia es a ou is des ina ion om he compe i ion, gene a ing
happiness and p e e ence in ou is s (Bose e al.,2022). Acco ding o ecen s udies, b and
alue is buil h ough a good image, posi i e expe iences wi h he b and, quali y se ice
and, o cou se, an e ec i e p omo ional campaign (J. Lee & Pa k,2022;T an e al.,2021),
as i has been p o en ha a s ong b and will no only a ac ou is s bu will also allow
economic bene i s and a good epu a ion o he local communi y (Bose e al.,2022).
Rega ding happiness, i is conside ed as a memo able ou is expe ience ha gene a es
a signi ican a achmen and d i es ou is s o e isi a ou is des ina ion (Peng e al.,
2023); in his sense, p omo ing happiness is a iable al e na i e o ob ain adequa e ou is
beha io (Gong & Yi,2018), being his a he same ime a e y impo an a iable, since i
is known ha in he e a o happiness 2.0, he e is a change o app oaches, whe e he need
o sa is y an immedia e pleasu e cu en ly consis s o co e ing a need o sel - ealiza ion
(Zhang e al.,2024).
Acco ding o p e ious s udies, loyal ou is s become p o agonis s when he aim is o
achie e s able economic bene i s, and hei beha io is clea e idence o he e ec i eness o
ma ke ing, which p omo es he inc ease in popula i y and expands he po en ial ma ke
o ou is des ina ions (P imananda e al.,2022); in his con ex , i is necessa y ha ou is s
main ain a posi i e pe cep ion o he ou is des ina ion, since epu a ion, p e ious expe i-
ence, p es ige and/o ecogni ion a e undamen al in hei beha io and hei decision o
e isi a place (Tang e al.,2022). Al hough i is known ha people’s beha io changes o e
ime and is ans o med acco ding o a ious ac o s, i is necessa y o keep in mind ha
one o he de e minan s o ou is beha io lies in he image o he des ina ion; his means
ha he mo e posi i e and a ac i e he pe cep ion o a ou is des ina ion is, he mo e
posi i e a ou is ’s beha io will also be, boos ing his associa ion, he le el o sa is ac ion
and he happiness o he ou is (López-Sanz e al.,2021).
Recen p eceden s explain ha in he amewo k o he Sus ainable De elopmen
Goals, digi al pla o ms ha e become a mechanism ha con ibu es o sus ainable ou ism,
and hey ha e seen an upwa d end in use due o hei abili y o connec a ele s wi h
se ice op ions such as accommoda ions, anspo a ion and ac i i ies ha p io i ize sus-
ainabili y (Lacá cel,2025). In his con ex , Pinho and Leal (2024) epo ha jus as he
objec i es o sus ainable de elopmen a e based on economic, ecological and social pilla s,
sus ainable ou ism also ocuses on hese key poin s, gua an eeing and maximizing he
balance be ween income, en i onmen al p ese a ion and communi y well-being (Mo-
hanan,2024). E idence o sus ainable ou ism is ound in ac i i ies such as bicycle ou ism,
which aims o educe ai pollu ion, as well as hiking, ekking and o he s ha educe
en i onmen al impac s (Sa ya e al.,2024;Senese e al.,2025). This ac ep esen s e idence
abou ou is p ac ices and in en ions o ou is s ha align he p inciples o sus ainabili y in
hei li e; hus, i is s a ed ha knowing ou is beha io is undamen al o unde s anding,
in a i s o e iew, he dynamics o he des ina ion image, b and alue and happiness
ega ding ou is beha io .
Based on he abo e, i is o in e es o in es iga e he in luence ha des ina ion image
and b and alue ha e on ou is happiness and hei in en ion o e isi and ecommend
a speci ic des ina ion. The e is li e a u e ha es ablishes he in luence o b and image
and pe sonali y (C uz-Ta illo e al.,2023), b and alue and sa is ac ion (T an e al.,2021),
image o he des ina ion and he in en ion o isi (S.-H. Liang & Lai,2023), and he e is
e en sca ce li e a u e ha add esses happiness oge he wi h ou ism expe iences, bu in
a me a e se scena io (Wang & Guo,2025), while o he an eceden s ocus on measu ing
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 3 o 15
o iden i ying beha io oge he wi h sa is ac ion (Baghe i e al.,2024), which leads o
iden i ying a knowledge gap ega ding he ole ha happiness could assume. Howe e ,
no s udies ha e been iden i ied ha add ess he ole o happiness in he associa ion o
des ina ion image and b and alue wi h ou is beha io , e en mo e so in a place like he
Pe u ian Jungle, cha ac e ized by i s biodi e si y wi h unique ou is a ac ions such as
lagoons, wa e alls, ho sp ings and beau i ul na u e ha beau i y he ou and awaken in
ou is s a eeling o happiness due o he di ec connec ion wi h na u e. Despi e i s beau y,
i aces challenges ha hinde sus ainable ou ism de elopmen , which equi es u gen
a en ion o i s p ese a ion and he de elopmen o local communi ies.
Unde his p emise, his esea ch aims o ill his gap in knowledge by posing he
ollowing esea ch objec i e: o analyze he in luence o des ina ion image and b and alue
on ou is happiness and i s impac on he in en ion o e isi and ecommend ou is
des ina ions. To his end, a quick li e a u e e iew and da a collec ion we e conduc ed,
which allowed ob aining esul s ha helped o iden i y he ac o s ha in luence he
in en ion o e isi and ecommend a ou is des ina ion. This s udy ocused on ou is
des ina ions in he Pe u ian jungle, a geog aphical a ea cha ac e ized by i s na u al weal h
and a wo ld o disco e bu wi h pa icula needs in e ms o ou ism p omo ion. This
s udy allowed us o explo e he pe cep ions o local, egional, na ional and o eign ou is s
ha will undoub edly allow he de elopmen o e ec i e s a egies o imp o e ou is
a ac i eness and compe i i eness.
2. Li e a u e Re iew
2.1. Des ina ion Image
Des ina ion image e e s o he pe cep ions, belie s, imp essions and emo ions ha
ou is s ha e abou a speci ic ou is des ina ion (Ma ques e al.,2021). I is a men al
ep esen a ion ha is o med h ough he ou is ’s p e ious expe ience, he in o ma ion
ecei ed om iends, amily, he media and ad e ising, and o he ex e nal and in e nal
ac o s, also known as a ec i e and cogni i e image (Akgün e al.,2020). Des ina ion
image plays a key ole in ou is s’ decisions o isi a des ina ion o no , as well as in hei
beha io while he e (Nunes e al.,2020). This can be cha ac e ized by se e al componen s,
such as na u al beau y, cul u e, his o y, gas onomy, secu i y, hospi ali y, in as uc u e and
ou is se ices, among o he s (Tang e al.,2022). These componen s can in luence di e en
aspec s o he ou is expe ience, such as sa is ac ion, in en ion o e isi and in en ion o
ecommend he des ina ion o o he s (W.-C. Chan e al.,2022).
2.2. B and Value
Des ina ion b and alue e e s o he pe cep ion and alua ion ha consume s ha e
abou a pa icula ou is des ina ion (Tasci,2020). I is a concep ha has become inc eas-
ingly impo an in he ou ism indus y due o he g owing compe i ion be ween ou is
des ina ions and he need o s and ou among hem; i is a combina ion o he image o he
des ina ion and he ou is expe ience (A. Chan e al.,2021). While image is he gene al
pe cep ion ha ou is s ha e o a des ina ion, ou is expe ience e e s o he pe sonal
in e ac ions and emo ions ha ou is s expe ience du ing hei s ay a he des ina ion. Bo h
aspec s a e impo an in de e mining he alue o he b and.
I can be measu ed h ough di e en app oaches, including quali y pe cep ion, loyal y
and sa is ac ion, and can in luence he way ou is s pe cei e he alue o he des ina ion
b and and hei decision o e isi o ecommend he des ina ion o o he s. Howe e , heo y
indica es ha and ogynous b ands gene a e g ea e b and alue compa ed o b ands ha
di ec hei s a egies exclusi ely o he emale o male gende (Lie en & Hildeb and,2016).
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 4 o 15
2.3. Tou is Happiness
I is undeniable ha o a clien ( ou is ) o be happy, he se ice hey ecei ed du -
ing hei s ay a a ou is des ina ion mus ha e exceeded hei expec a ions. Making a
concep ual app oxima ion, i can be said ha his e e s o he posi i e emo ional s a e
ha a pe son expe iences when a eling and explo ing new cul u es, places and expe i-
ences (Bimon e & Fa alla,2012). This happiness can be caused by a ious ac o s, such
as pe sonal sa is ac ion, enjoymen o leisu e ac i i ies, elaxa ion and escape om daily
ou ine and lea ning and disco e y, among o he s (Bimon e & Fa alla,2015). In gene al,
ou is happiness is associa ed wi h a eeling o well-being and pe sonal sa is ac ion ha is
ob ained when a eling (F. Li e al.,2023).
One o he main ac o s ha in luence ou is happiness is he quali y o he ou is
se ices o e ed a he des ina ion. This includes he quali y o accommoda ions, he
ange o leisu e ac i i ies and expe iences and he accessibili y and sa e y o he des ina ion,
among o he aspec s (Gholipou e al.,2022). Tou is s end o eel happie and mo e sa is ied
when ou ism se ices mee hei expec a ions and p o ide hem wi h a memo able and
enjoyable a el expe ience (C.-J. Chen & Li,2020;Vi e sø e al.,2017).
2.4. In en ion o Re isi and Recommend
The in en ion o e isi and ecommend ou is des ina ions is known as he beha io
o ou is s a e ha ing gone h ough an expe ience. In addi ion, i is a key indica o o
a des ina ion’s success in he ou ism indus y. This in en ion e e s o he willingness o
ou is s o e u n o a des ina ion and ecommend i o o he s a e ha ing had a posi i e
expe ience (Heyda i Fa d e al.,2021).
The in en ion o e isi and ecommend a des ina ion is in luenced by se e al ac o s,
one o he mos impo an being he quali y o ou is se ices and he gene al sa is ac ion
o ou is s, which ansla es in o happiness (Mimaki e al.,2022). When ou is s ha e a
posi i e expe ience a a des ina ion and a e happy wi h he ou ism se ices o e ed, hey
a e mo e likely o in end o e isi he des ina ion in he u u e and ecommend i o o he s
(Kau & Kau ,2020).
2.5. Hypo hesis De elopmen
Some s udies ha e shown ha des ina ion image can ha e a signi ican impac on
b and alue. Fo example, a s udy conduc ed by Jawaha and Muhammed (2022) on ou is
des ina ions in India ound ha a posi i e image o he des ina ion inc eased b and alue,
hus gene a ing ou is loyal y. Meanwhile, A. Chan e al. (2021) a gues ha , in ou is
des ina ions, he image o he des ina ion has a di ec in luence on he alue o he b and,
which a ec s he in en ion o ou is s o isi and ecommend he des ina ion. Based on
his idea, i is impo an o measu e he cong uence be ween he p ojec ed and ecei ed
images o he a ac ions o a des ina ion, since i is known ha he alue o he b and has
he capaci y o in luence he image o a des ina ion (Y. Li e al.,2023;Tasci,2020).
In addi ion, he s udy conduc ed by Chi and Pham (2022) sheds ligh on he ole
o des ina ion image in s eng hening a ele mo i a ional e ec s. The s udy p o ides
a amewo k o segmen ing p omo ional ma e ials associa ed wi h des ina ion image
based on di e en ypes o cus ome s’ in e nal a el mo i a ions. The amewo k includes
ou dimensions: (1) des ina ion image e lec ing acili a o s o emo ion, (2) des ina ion
image e lec ing acili a o s o escaping om he ou ine o daily li e, (3) des ina ion image
e lec ing acili a o s o knowledge seeking and (4) des ina ion image e lec ing acili a o s
o pe sonal de elopmen .
H1: Des ina ion image in luences he b and alue o ou is des ina ions.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 5 o 15
H2: The image o he ou is des ina ion in luences he happiness o he ou is .
In addi ion, Peng e al. (2023) conduc ed a s udy in es iga ing he in luence mechanism
o ou is s’ happiness on e isi in en ion o adi ional Chinese medicine (TCM) cul u al
ou ism des ina ions, and he esul s showed ha ou is s’ happiness os e s memo able
ou ism expe iences and place a achmen , which in u n s imula es e isi in en ion. This
ac is u he consolida ed when ou is s main ain a high heal h consciousness, and his
ac s as a signi ican mode a o be ween happiness, place a achmen and e isi in en ion.
Likewise, Lu sanda aaja e al. (2022) a gued ha ou is des ina ions o en compe e
h ough hei image in he minds o po en ial ou is s. The e o e, he image o a des ina ion
is c i ical due o i s in luence on ou is s’ decision making and des ina ion selec ion; hus,
posi i e changes in he cogni i e and a ec i e image o he des ina ion o e a gi en pe iod
o ime a ec a ou is ’s mo i a ion o lea n and be en e ained, as well as in luencing
ou is sa is ac ion and e isi in en ions (Rod igues e al.,2023;Tang e al.,2022).
Based on his backg ound, he ollowing hypo heses a e aised:
H3: B and alue in luences ou is happiness.
H4: Tou is happiness in luences he in en ion o e isi a ou is des ina ion.
H5: Tou is happiness in luences he in en ion o ecommend a ou is des ina ion.
On he o he hand, when explo ing he in en ion o ecommend a ou is des ina ion,
he scien i ic li e a u e es ablishes ha al hough e e y des ina ion is a space ha seeks
o a ac he a en ion o ou is s, i has been shown ha he hospi ali y and kindness o
esiden s suppo he in en ion o e isi a place and hen ecommend i (Woyo & Slabbe ,
2023). And e en he backg ound es ablishes ha when he des ina ion’s esou ces a e
limi ed, isi o s o ou is s, a e ha ing a pleasan expe ience, eel he in en ion o isi he
des ina ion again and may e en ecommend he place, hus achie ing an inc ease in he
numbe o isi o s (An on e al.,2021). Based on his, he ollowing hypo hesis is aised:
H6: The in en ion o e isi in luences he in en ion o ecommend a ou is des ina ion.
Figu e 1illus a es a concep ual model o an explana o y na u e ha a icula es he
p e iously de eloped hypo heses be ween he cons uc s in he ield o ou is beha iou .
Adm. Sci. 2025, 15, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5 o 16
H2: The image o he ou is des ina ion in luences he happiness o he ou is .
In addi ion, Peng e al. (2023) conduc ed a s udy in es iga ing he in luence mecha-
nism o ou is s’ happiness on e isi in en ion o adi ional Chinese medicine (TCM) cul-
u al ou ism des ina ions, and he esul s showed ha ou is s’ happiness os e s memo-
able ou ism expe iences and place a achmen , which in u n s imula es e isi in en ion.
This ac is u he consolida ed when ou is s main ain a high heal h consciousness, and
his ac s as a signi ican mode a o be ween happiness, place a achmen and e isi in-
en ion.
Likewise, Lu sanda aaja e al. (2022) a gued ha ou is des ina ions o en compe e
h ough hei image in he minds o po en ial ou is s. The e o e, he image o a des ina-
ion is c i ical due o i s in luence on ou is s’ decision making and des ina ion selec ion;
hus, posi i e changes in he cogni i e and a ec i e image o he des ina ion o e a gi en
pe iod o ime a ec a ou is ’s mo i a ion o lea n and be en e ained, as well as in luenc-
ing ou is sa is ac ion and e isi in en ions (Rod igues e al., 2023; Tang e al., 2022).
Based on his backg ound, he ollowing hypo heses a e aised:
H3: B and alue in luences ou is happiness.
H4: Tou is happiness in luences he in en ion o e isi a ou is des ina ion.
H5: Tou is happiness in luences he in en ion o ecommend a ou is des ina ion.
On he o he hand, when explo ing he in en ion o ecommend a ou is des ina ion,
he scien i ic li e a u e es ablishes ha al hough e e y des ina ion is a space ha seeks o
a ac he a en ion o ou is s, i has been shown ha he hospi ali y and kindness o
esiden s suppo he in en ion o e isi a place and hen ecommend i (Woyo & Slabbe ,
2023). And e en he backg ound es ablishes ha when he des ina ion’s esou ces a e lim-
i ed, isi o s o ou is s, a e ha ing a pleasan expe ience, eel he in en ion o isi he
des ina ion again and may e en ecommend he place, hus achie ing an inc ease in he
numbe o isi o s (An on e al., 2021). Based on his, he ollowing hypo hesis is aised:
H6: The in en ion o e isi in luences he in en ion o ecommend a ou is des ina ion.
Figu e 1 illus a es a concep ual model o an explana o y na u e ha a icula es he
p e iously de eloped hypo heses be ween he cons uc s in he ield o ou is beha iou .
Figu e 1. Theo e ical model o his esea ch.
Figu e 1. Theo e ical model o his esea ch.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 6 o 15
3. Me hodology
3.1. Resea ch Design
This esea ch was de eloped om a non-expe imen al quan i a i e ans e sal me hod-
ological pe spec i e (C uz-Ta illo e al.,2023). The da a collec ed om ou is s we e analyzed
in hei na u al s a e wi hou manipula ing any a iables. In addi ion, o measu e he causal-
i y be ween he cons uc s, i was necessa y o use he echnique o s uc u al equa ions.
3.2. Ins umen s
In o al, ou ins umen s we e used in his esea ch. To measu e he image o he
ou is des ina ion, he IMATUR scale was used. Mo aga e al. (2012) alida ed o he
Pe u ian con ex by C uz-Ta illo e al. (2023). This alida ion p ocess in ol ed adap ing
he o iginal scale o cap u e he unique cha ac e is ics and a ibu es o ou ism des i-
na ions in he Pe u ian ain o es , composed o 33 i ems g ouped in o i e dimensions.
The scales o in en ion o e isi and ecommend we e also alida ed, bo h o which a e
unidimensional and composed o h ee i ems. In addi ion, he ou is happiness scale was
used, composed o 19 i ems g ouped in o 4 dimensions (Peng e al.,2023). Likewise, he
b and alue scale was used, composed o 17 i ems g ouped in o ou dimensions. The
measu emen was conduc ed using a se en-poin Like - ype scale, designed o accu a ely
cap u e esponden s’ pe cep ions and opinions. On his scale, a alue o 1 co esponds o
s ongly disag ee, while a alue o 7 ep esen s s ongly ag ee. P io o da a collec ion, a
con en alida ion was ca ied ou by i e ou ism ma ke ing expe s, whe e hey e alua ed
he cla i y, cong uence and ele ance o he i ems; hen, a pilo es was conduc ed o
es he in e nal consis ency o he ins umen s in he speci ic con ex o ou ism in he
Pe u ian jungle. I was applied o a sample o 50 ou is s, selec ed non-p obabilis ically by
con enience. The esul s indica ed high le els o eliabili y o each ins umen (
α
> 0.70),
and no signi ican p oblems in i em comp ehension we e iden i ied.
I should be no ed ha p io o he applica ion o he su eys, au ho iza ion was e-
ques ed om he e hics commi ee o he Uni e sidad Pe uana Unión in o de o gua an ee
he non-exis ence o any isk o ha m o he s udy pa icipan s. A e ecei ing he app o al
o he a o emen ioned commi ee by means o ce i ica e N
◦
2023-CE-EPG-00181, da ed
28 Decembe 2023, he ques ions we e inse ed in a Google o m, which was di ided in o
h ee sec ions: The i s was he in o med consen , whe e each pa icipan accep ed hei
pa icipa ion and au ho ized he ea men o in o ma ion anonymously; he second was
made up o each o he i ems ha measu e he s udy a iables. The hi d sec ion included
he demog aphic da a in o de o be e unde s and he p o ile o he pa icipan s.
3.3. Sampling and Da a Collec ion
Fo he selec ion o one o he sample uni s ( ou is s), his s udy uses he non-
p obabilis ic echnique o con enience. Al hough i is ue ha he e a e se e al me hod-
ological o ien a ions in he li e a u e, his echnique is widely used in esea ch (Ragb e al.,
2020) due o he abili y o p o ide da a when esea che s ha e limi ed ime and sca ce
economic esou ces and is e icien in he logis ical aspec . The sample consis ed o o eign,
na ional, egional and local ou is s who ha e equen ed he ou is des ina ions o Laguna
Azul, Ca a a as de Ahuashiyacu, loca ed in he dis ic o Sauce in he p o ince o San
Ma in. In addi ion, ou is s who isi ed he des ina ion o he he mal ba hs loca ed in
he p o ince o Moyobamba and Tioyacu loca ed in he p o ince o Rioja, all in he San
Ma in Region, Pe ú, we e included. The da a collec ion was ca ied ou h ough online
su eys, dis ibu ed in s a egic poin s such as ai po s, a el agencies, ou is places and
es au an s using Wha sApp as he main ool. All his was possible because one membe o
he esea ch eam wo ks in a a el agency and had he necessa y knowledge and s a egy
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 7 o 15
o i s applica ion o he ins umen . A o al o 1435 su eys we e sen o ou is s who had
isi ed some o he des ina ions be ween July and No embe 2023, ob aining a esponse
a e o 30%, o 427 su eys. One esponden who claimed o be a mino (<18 yea s old) and
one esponden who did no comple e all ques ionnai es we e excluded om he s udy;
425 da a we e submi ed o analysis.
3.4. Da a Analysis
The da a analysis consis ed o wo phases. In he i s phase, he collec ed da a we e
cleaned, elimina ing wo cases ha we e conside ed a ypical da a. Basic s a is ics such
as a e ages, s anda d de ia ion, eliabili y and co ela ions we e used, using SPSS V27.
The second phase consis ed o s a is ically e alua ing he p oposed heo e ical model.
To achie e his, i was necessa y o apply he s uc u al equa ion model (SEM) using
AMOS 25 and JAMOVI as ools. This echnique was used because o i s abili y o analyze
complex ela ionships be ween la en and obse ed a iables. An adequa e sample size was
ensu ed, and mul i a ia e no mali y was e i ied using he Ma dia coe icien . Linea i y
and he absence o mul icollinea i y we e also e alua ed, de e mining ha he ela ionships
be ween independen a iables did no exceed c i ical le els. In addi ion, he model was
heo e ically jus i ied by de e mining ha he p oposed ela ionships had empi ical suppo
(Collie ,2020). The assump ions we e es ed using he maximum likelihood me hod o
assess he consis ency o he model (By ne & By ne,2013;Hai e al.,2020); hen, s uc u al
es ima es we e made be ween he cons uc s o de e mine and e i y he hypo heses
p oposed in he esea ch.
4. Resul s
4.1. Sample Cha ac e iza ion
The da a analyzed p o ided a de ailed iew o he demog aphic p o iles and beha -
io al cha ac e is ics o ou is s. These esul s a e o pa icula ele ance o unde s anding
he dynamics o ou ism and i s socio-economic implica ions.
Rega ding gende , he e was a balanced dis ibu ion be ween men and women (48.5;
51.5). In addi ion, a high le el o educa ion was no ed, since he g ea majo i y o espon-
den s indica ed ha hey ha e comple ed hei uni e si y s udies. Rega ding employmen
s a us, he da a e lec di e si y, wi h a conside able p opo ion o dependen wo ke s and
a signi ican numbe o independen wo ke s.
On he o he hand, in e es ing p o iles o ou is s we e de ec ed, aking as a iables
he o igin, du a ion o he ip and daily expendi u e. Table 1shows an in e es ing segmen
made up o local and egional ou is s, which sugges s a s ong po en ial o domes ic
ou ism. In addi ion, in ela ion o du a ion, he e is an in e es ing p opo ion ha chooses
o ha e sho s ays (<3 days) due o he ac o s o ime a ailabili y and p oximi y o ou is
des ina ions. On he o he hand, wi h espec o expendi u e, he able shows ha mos
ou is s spend less han USD 27 a day and gene ally a el accompanied by hei amily
and/o iends.
On he o he hand, Table 2shows he e alua ion o di e en cons uc s used in he
esea ch. All scales ha e e y high in e nal consis ency coe icien s (C onbach’s alpha and
McDonald’s omega) anging om 0.979 o 0.993. These alues de e mine he eliabili y
o he cons uc s. In addi ion, he co ela ions be ween he di e en a iables p o ide an
in e es ing alue due o he high indices ound. Signi ican and posi i e co ela ions a e
obse ed be ween he image o he ou is des ina ion and he b and alue ( = 0.870),
as well as be ween he happiness o he ou is and he image o he ou is des ina ion
(
= 0.852
) and he b and alue ( = 0.901). These co ela ions sugges ha he cons uc s
a e consis en ly ela ed. In addi ion, he co ela ions be ween he in en ion o e isi and
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 8 o 15
ecommend wi h he image o he ou is des ina ion, he b and alue and he happiness
o he ou is a e be ween = 0.789 and 0.900. The esul s sugges ha a posi i e image
o he ou is des ina ion and high pe cei ed b and equi y a e associa ed wi h g ea e
ou is happiness, which in u n in luences ou is s’ in en ion o e isi and ecommend
he des ina ion.
Table 1. Sociodemog aphic dis ibu ion o pa icipan s (N = 425).
Va iables Ca ego ies F %
Sex Male 206 48.5%
Female 219 51.5%
Le el o educa ion
P ima y 5 1.2%
Seconda y 53 12.5%
Uni e si y 344 80.9%
Pos g adua e 23 5.4%
Type o ou is
Local 127 29.9%
Regional 135 31.8%
Na ional 145 34.1%
Fo eign 18 4.2%
Family income le el
<USD 263 141 33.2%
USD 264–$394 97 22.8%
USD 395–526 60 14.1%
PEN 527–657 44 10.4%
>USD 657 83 19.5%
Wo king condi ion
Dependen 154 36.2%
Independen 122 28.7%
Unemployed 9 2.1%
Du a ion o he
ou is ip
S uden 140 32.9%
<24 h 182 42.8%
Be ween 2 and 3 days 134 31.5%
>3 days 109 25.6%
Daily spending
<USD 14 168 39.5%
USD 15–27 130 30.6%
USD 28–40 63 14.8%
>USD 40 64 15.1%
Who did you
a el wi h?
Only me 117 27.5%
Wi h my pa ne 79 18.6%
Wi h my iends 93 21.9%
Wi h he amily 136 32.0%
No e: minimum age = 18 yea s, maximum = 60 yea s, mean = 24 yea s, s anda d de ia ion o 8.27. Sou ce:
own elabo a ion.
Table 2. Desc ip i e s a is ics, eliabili y and co ela ions.
Scales o Resea ch M OF α ω IM VM FT IVV GO
Des ina ion image (DI) 4.72 1.66 0.993 0.993 -
B and alue (BV) 4.43 1.52 0.984 0.985 0.870 ** -
Tou is happiness (TH) 4.86 1.69 0.989 0.989 0.852 ** 0.901 ** -
In en ion o e isi (IRV) 4.99 1.78 0.979 0.979 0.789 ** 0.821 ** 0.900 ** -
In en ion o ecommend (IRM)
4.99 1.85 0.981 0.981 0.764 ** 0.799 ** 0.866 ** 0.866 ** -
No e: M = mean, SD = s anda d de ia ion,
α
= C onbach’s alpha,
ω
= omega coe icien . Sou ce: own elabo a ion,
** explains why he indica o s ha e a high signi icance (0.00).
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 176 15 o 15
Xiao, X., Fang, C., Lin, H., & Chen, J. (2022). A amewo k o quan i a i e analysis and di e en ia ed ma ke ing o ou ism des ina ion
image based on isual con en o pho os. Tou ism Managemen ,93, 104585. [C ossRe ]
Zhang, Y., Yang, L., Jiang, L., Yang, Z., & Xu, H. (2024). Explo ing he ela ionship be ween ou is in ol emen and he ou is s’
au hen ic happiness om he pe spec i e o cons uc i e-de elopmen al heo y. Jou nal o Resou ces and Ecology,15(3), 782–792.
[C ossRe ]
Disclaime /Publishe ’s No e: The s a emen s, opinions and da a con ained in all publica ions a e solely hose o he indi idual
au ho (s) and con ibu o (s) and no o MDPI and/o he edi o (s). MDPI and/o he edi o (s) disclaim esponsibili y o any inju y o
people o p ope y esul ing om any ideas, me hods, ins uc ions o p oduc s e e ed o in he con en .
