Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism

Tea tourism is one of the alternative forms of tourism which is being operated in the tea growing regions in the world. Sri Lanka also can benefit from adopting and promoting tea tourism. The main purpose of this study is to propose a practical model to empower Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination...

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Main Authors: K. C. Koththagoda, S. C. Thushara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty of Commerce & Manangement Studies, University of Kelaniya 2016-11-01
Series:Kelaniya Journal of Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://kjm.sljol.info/articles/7507
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author K. C. Koththagoda
S. C. Thushara
author_facet K. C. Koththagoda
S. C. Thushara
author_sort K. C. Koththagoda
collection DOAJ
description Tea tourism is one of the alternative forms of tourism which is being operated in the tea growing regions in the world. Sri Lanka also can benefit from adopting and promoting tea tourism. The main purpose of this study is to propose a practical model to empower Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination. In this study, Keller’s constructs of the pyramid of brand equity, including brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, brand judgments, brand feelings, and brand resonance, are investigated and their relationships with brand equity, as well as their effects on customer loyalty and satisfaction in Tea tourism in Sri Lanka are determined. The statistical population of the present study is all foreign visitors from tea estates based recreational sites in Sri Lanka. The data were collected by administering questionnaire. The sample consisted with 385 randomly selected individuals. The research hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling and the final model was confirmed. The findings of the study revealed that only the relationships between brand salience and customer loyalty, brand imagery and brand performance towards brand equity were not significant, and all other relationships were significant. Also, fit indices obtained from the conceptual model indicates that model is valid in explaining the relationships among variables to empower Sri Lanka as a Tea Tourism destination. Therefore this proposed model emphasized how marketers should design and implement the effective marketing programs to empower Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination. In this way, Sri Lanka can be positioned as one of the attractive and more competitive tea tourism destinations in the world which in turn could make a positive impact on foreign exchange, employment oportunities and other economic factors.
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spelling doaj.art-f72defbe221a42e9b93ad52bb077c1b12022-12-21T20:11:09ZengFaculty of Commerce & Manangement Studies, University of KelaniyaKelaniya Journal of Management2279-14692448-92982016-11-0151819510.4038/kjm.v5i1.75075663Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourismK. C. Koththagoda0S. C. Thushara1University of KelaniyaUniversity of KelaniyaTea tourism is one of the alternative forms of tourism which is being operated in the tea growing regions in the world. Sri Lanka also can benefit from adopting and promoting tea tourism. The main purpose of this study is to propose a practical model to empower Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination. In this study, Keller’s constructs of the pyramid of brand equity, including brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, brand judgments, brand feelings, and brand resonance, are investigated and their relationships with brand equity, as well as their effects on customer loyalty and satisfaction in Tea tourism in Sri Lanka are determined. The statistical population of the present study is all foreign visitors from tea estates based recreational sites in Sri Lanka. The data were collected by administering questionnaire. The sample consisted with 385 randomly selected individuals. The research hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling and the final model was confirmed. The findings of the study revealed that only the relationships between brand salience and customer loyalty, brand imagery and brand performance towards brand equity were not significant, and all other relationships were significant. Also, fit indices obtained from the conceptual model indicates that model is valid in explaining the relationships among variables to empower Sri Lanka as a Tea Tourism destination. Therefore this proposed model emphasized how marketers should design and implement the effective marketing programs to empower Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination. In this way, Sri Lanka can be positioned as one of the attractive and more competitive tea tourism destinations in the world which in turn could make a positive impact on foreign exchange, employment oportunities and other economic factors.https://kjm.sljol.info/articles/7507Tea tourism, Brand equity, Structural equation modelling, Sri Lanka tourism
spellingShingle K. C. Koththagoda
S. C. Thushara
Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism
Kelaniya Journal of Management
Tea tourism, Brand equity, Structural equation modelling, Sri Lanka tourism
title Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism
title_full Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism
title_fullStr Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism
title_full_unstemmed Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism
title_short Customer based brand equity for empowering Sri Lanka as a tourism destination: with special reference to tea tourism
title_sort customer based brand equity for empowering sri lanka as a tourism destination with special reference to tea tourism
topic Tea tourism, Brand equity, Structural equation modelling, Sri Lanka tourism
url https://kjm.sljol.info/articles/7507
work_keys_str_mv AT kckoththagoda customerbasedbrandequityforempoweringsrilankaasatourismdestinationwithspecialreferencetoteatourism
AT scthushara customerbasedbrandequityforempoweringsrilankaasatourismdestinationwithspecialreferencetoteatourism