EXPLORING SUSTAINABLE BRAND EQUITY FORMATION IN TOURIST DESTINATIONS THROUGH FACTOR ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51200/mjbe.v12i1.6595Keywords:
Sabah, Tourism Destination, Brand Equity, Consumer Based, Brand Resonance, Perceived Destination RiskAbstract
Recent research highlights the potential of destination branding as a marketing tool, yet few studies have applied the Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) approach to assess destination brand equity, particularly in combining various dimensions. This study addresses this gap by empirically evaluating Sabah's brand equity through a consumer survey targeting Japanese tourists. It examines the causal relationships among nine brand equity dimensions: brand awareness, brand uniqueness, perceived brand quality, perceived brand value, brand image, perceived destination risk, perceived brand reputation, brand satisfaction, and brand loyalty. Data were collected from 100 tourists at Kota Kinabalu International Airport using questionnaire to refine the factor structure and assess concurrent validity. The analysis included exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, confirming the dimensionality of the constructs and integrating "perceived destination risk" into the existing framework to address security concerns and general risks associated with the destination. This research contributes to understanding Japanese tourists' sentiments toward Sabah as a tourism destination. The findings may offer strategies for policymakers to enhance Sabah’s brand performance. Reliability assessments indicated acceptable to good reliability across most constructs, with improvements observed after item revisions. This study fills a gap in empirical research on destination marketing and brand equity, focusing on a specific target market.
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