Measuring Destination Image on Tourism River Area the Case of Gua Pindul

Abstract

Aims: To measure tourism destination image on tourism river area and to delineate the constructs of destination image on tourist satisfaction Study Design:  This study is Quantitative Research. Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted in Goa Pindul (Pindul Cave) Gelaran Hamlet, Bejiharjo Village, Karangmojo District, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, since January until May of 2018. Methodology: We included 250 respondents (114 men, 136 women; time to visit range one time until more than three times). The analysis methods are Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) to measure destination image and Structural Equation Model to build destination image on motivation, tourist character and satisfaction model. Results: t-statistic value determines how far does indicator variable predict its construct. The higher t-statistic value, the bigger impact to construct variable. The minimum limit of t-statistic value is 1,96 on significant level of 95%.‘Pleased that decided to visit again’ is the best predictor of ‘satisfaction’. ‘Visiting familiar places’ is the best predictor of ‘motivation’ through ‘relaxation/familiarity’ as a dimension variable. The importance of ‘reservation service' is the best predictor of ‘destination image'. ‘Occupation' is the best predictor of ‘tourist character'. In this model, 46,80 % of the variance in ‘destination image’ is explained by tourist satisfaction, and 58,30% of the variance in ‘tourist satisfaction’ is explained by ‘destination image’ which shown in their R2  value. Conclusion: This study concludes at this time that importance and performance destination attributes provided some measurements of the ‘destination image’ which simultaneously influence ‘tourist satisfaction’. It appears that ‘reservation service’, ‘river and its surroundings’, ‘reservation personnel friendliness’, and ‘scenery of Gua Pindul ’ are the main indicators of destination image, whereas  ‘occupation’ is the best predictor for ‘tourist character’. In the other hand, ‘destination image’ has the strongest infuence on ‘tourist satisfaction’. Most tourists expected very much on ‘cleanliness of the place’.‘Karst hills phenomena (stalactite, stalagmite)’ was appraised as the best performed by most tourists, whereas ‘easy of accessibility on premises’ had the worst performance. Thus, the results of the study signify the importance of determining a river destination's competitiveness by using different analytical frameworks. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.